Charged sites, separation between

Under illumination, charges are separated between the two components at the internal interface of the BHJ and collected on asymmetric electrodes. In organic SCs, absorption of photons leads to the creation of bound electron hole pairs (excitons) rather than free charges. In turn, excitons can subsequently diffuse to dissociation sites where their charges can be separated. In the case of organic solar cells, the process can be divided into following stages (Fig. 5) [56] ... 

The extent to which the ions compete with B for the charged sites (X) will determine their retention. In general, this type of chromatography may be used to separate ionic species, such as organic acids or bases, which can be ionized under certain pH conditions. Besides the reaction with ionic sites on the stationary phase, retention may also be affected by the partitioning of solutes between the mobile and stationary phases, as in reversed-phase chromatography. Thus, even nonionized solutes may be retained on ion-exchange columns. 

Another separation technique utilizes an electric field. An electric held is an electrically charged region of space, such as between a pair of electrodes connected to a power supply. The technique utilizes the varied rates and direction with which different organic ions (or large molecules with charged sites) migrate while under the influence of the electric held. This technique is called electrophoresis. Zone electrophoresis refers to the common case in which a medium such as cellulose or gel is used to contain the solution. A schematic diagram of the electrophoresis apparatus resembles an electrochemical apparatus in many... 

In contrast to a conventional p-n-junction-type solar cell, the mechanism of the DSSC does not involve a charge-recombination process between electrons and holes because electrons are injected from the dye photosensitizers into the semiconductor, and holes are not formed in the valence band of the semiconductor. In addition, electron transport takes place in the Ti02 film, which is separated from the photon absorption sites (i.e., the photosensitizers) thus, effective charge separation is expected. This photon-to-current conversion mechanism of the DSSC is similar to that for photosynthesis in nature, where chlorophyll functions as the photosensitizer and electron transport occurs in the membrane. 

Reduction to the zero-valent state or formation of other metal solid phases like oxides, causes the element to deposit onto the semiconductor surface. The efficiency of the photocatalytic reaction depends on different factors. One of the most critical aspects is the high probability of electron-hole recombination, which competes with the separation of the photogenerated charges. On the other hand, as there is no physical separation between the anodic reaction site (oxidation by holes) and the cathodic one (reduction by electrons), back reactions can be of importance. The low efficiency is one of the most severe limitations of heterogeneous photo catalysis. 

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