Ultrafast photoelectron migration in dye-sensitized solar cells: Influence of the binding mode and many-body interactions

Abstract

In the present contribution, the ultrafast photoinduced electron migration dynamics at the interface between an alizarin dye and an anatase TiO2 thin film is investigated from first principles. Comparison between a time- dependent many-electron configuration interaction ansatz and a single active electron approach sheds light on the importance of many-body effects, stemming from uniquely defined initial conditions prior to photoexcitation. Particular emphasis is put on understanding the influence of the binding mode on the migration process. The dynamics is analyzed on the basis of a recently introduced toolset in the form of electron yields, electronic fluxes, and flux densities, to reveal microscopic details of the electron migration mechanism. From the many-body perspective, insight into the nature of electron-electron and hole-hole interactions during the charge transfer process is obtained. The present results reveal that the single active electron approach yields quantitatively and phenomenologically similar results as the many-electron ansatz. Furthermore, the charge migration processes in the dye-TiO2 model clusters with different binding modes exhibit similar mechanistic pathways but on largely different time scales.