Patent ID: 9337435
Filing Date: 2016-05-10
CPC Classification: B82Y,H01G,H01L,Y02E

Claim Text:
1. A regenerative photoelectrochemical cell consisting of: a photoanode, said photoanode comprising at least one semi-conductive metal oxide layer on a conductive substrate, wherein said at least one semi-conductive metal oxide layer is sensitized by an adsorbed photosensitizing dye, wherein said at least one semi-conductive metal oxide layer is directly contacted to a compound consisting only of a molecule; a counter electrode; an electrolyte arranged between said semi-conductive metal oxide layer and said counter electrode; and wherein said molecule consists of an amphiphilic compacting compound co-adsorbed with said photosensitizing dye on said semi-conductive metal oxide layer in a mixed monolayer, the amphiphilic compacting compound is a colorless, non-light absorbing, free of chromophore moiety and not electron donating species to said semi-conductive metal oxide layer, and forming the whole molecule consisting of at least one anchoring group, a hydrophobic portion and a terminal group terminating the compound, the amphiphilic compacting compound being selected from the group of compounds being one of formulae (1) to (2): With the proviso that P=Q=H (hydrogen) that anchoring group X and X′ are, independently one from the other, one of the groups COOH, PO that n, n′ and n″ designate the same or different integers from 1 to 20 that terminal group Y and Y′ are, independently one from the the other, one of the groups SO wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 designate independently one from the other H, a phenyl group or an alkyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms.