{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T04:20:18Z","timestamp":1791951618843,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776643200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776643200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["ChemistryOpen"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Steric regulation at the dye\/semiconductor interface critically governs charge recombination and interfacial energetics in dye\u2010sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) but remains poorly defined for unsymmetrical squaraine sensitizers. Here, two \u03c0\u2010extended unsymmetrical squaraine dyes (AQ1 and AQ2) are designed to clarify how alkyl\u2010chain\u2010induced steric modulation influences aggregation, surface packing, and intramolecular charge\u2010transfer (ICT) dynamics. Both dyes show strong visible\u2013near\u2010infrared absorption and suitable the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO\u2013LUMO) alignment for electron injection into TiO\n                    <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                    . In AQ2, branched alkyl substituents provide enhanced steric shielding at the TiO\n                    <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                    interface, suppressing aggregation, modifying interfacial dipoles, and increasing\n                    <jats:italic>R<\/jats:italic>\n                    <jats:sub>rec<\/jats:sub>\n                    . Importantly, efficiency gains arise mainly from steric control of interfacial energetics and recombination kinetics rather than aggregation suppression alone. Consequently, AQ2\u2010based DSSCs deliver 7.41% power conversion efficiency with higher\n                    <jats:italic>R<\/jats:italic>\n                    <jats:sub>rec<\/jats:sub>\n                    \u2009=\u200911.64 \u03a9 and longer electron lifetime (\n                    <jats:italic>\u03c4<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20098.58\u2009ms) than AQ1, despite lower dye loading. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and density functional theory (DFT) corroborate suppressed back\u2010electron transfer.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/open.70199","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T05:04:31Z","timestamp":1776747871000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Sterically Controlled Interfacial Charge\u2010Transfer Mechanisms in Unsymmetrical Squaraine Dyes for Suppressed Aggregation and Enhanced Performance in High\u2010Efficiency Dye\u2010Sensitized Solar Cells"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Abdullah N.","family":"Alotaibi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU)  Riyadh Saudi 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