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Primary Examiner: Weisstuch, Aaron
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Hughes; J. R.

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Title: Photochemical device for conversion of visible light to electricity

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Claims: We claim:

1. A photochemical device for converting light energy to electrical energy comprising:

(a) a substrate sheet,

(b) a layer of conducting electrode material formed on the substrate,

(c) a monolayer of an electron acceptor material formed on the electrode layer, said electrode layer forming a Schottky barrier between it and the acceptor monolayer,

(d) at least one monolayer of a dye material formed on the acceptor layer,

(e) a counter electrode of a material that is a good source of electrons, contacting the dye layers, either the substrate sheet and its associated electrode layer or the counter electrode being transparent such that light may enter the monolayers, and

(f) means for taking electric current from the electrodes.

2. A photochemical device as in claim 1 wherein the acceptor monolayer is a saturated fatty acid containing about 10 mole % of one of plastoquinone, ubiquinone, squalene, or an unsaturated fatty acid.

3. A photochemical device as in claim 1 wherein the at least one dye monolayer is chlorophyll.

4. A photochemical device as in claim 3 wherein the electrode layer is a semitransparent tin oxide semi-conductor layer.

5. A photochemical device as in claim 1 wherein the at least one dye monolayer is a material chosen from the groups: dioctadecyl ester of Tris (2-2' bipyridyl) Ruthenium II.sup.+, porphyrin, acridine dyes, and Azo dyes.

6. A photochemical device as in claim 1 wherein the electrode layer is a semitransparent aluminum film and the substrate sheet is glass.

7. A photochemical device as in claim 1 wherein the number of dye monolayers is four.

8. A photochemical device as in claim 1 wherein the counter electrode is mercury.

9. A photochemical device as in claim 1 wherein a buffer layer of stearic acid is positioned between the counter electrode and the at least one monolayer of dye material.

Other info:

Inventors: Bolton, James R. (London, CA, US)
Janzen, Abram F. (London, CA, US)

Application Number: 018468
Filing Date: 1979-03-07
Publication_date: 1980-04-08
Assignee: Canadian Patents & Development Ltd. (Ottawa, CA)
Primary Class(es): 136/255 250/214SG, 250/214.1, 257/40, 257/453, 257/E51.012, 257/E51.023, 257/E51.041, 257/E51.044, 257/E51.047, 257/E51.052
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

3057947	Oct, 1962	Calvin et al.	136/89.
4105470	Aug, 1978	Skotheim	136/89.

Other Refs: Other References: P. J. Reucroft et al. "Photoelectronic Effects In Organic Materials-I. Chlorophyll-Chloranil Lamellar Systems", Photochem. Photobiol., vol. 10, pp. 79-86, (1969).
"`Synthetic Leaf` Mimics Plants' Light Conversion," Chemical & Eng. News, Feb. 16, 1976, pp. 32-34.
C. W. Tang et al., "Photovoltaic Effects of Metal-Chlorophyll-a-Metal Sandwich Cells," J. Chem., Phys., vol. 62, pp. 2139-2149, (1975).