The utilization of a fluoran leuco sensitizer, 2-anilino-6-dibutyl amino-3-methylfluoran (ODB-2), for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was investigated through the examination of the adsorption of ODB-2 molecules onto the surfaces of porous titanium dioxide (titania, TiO2) films and the photovoltaic properties of ODB-2-based DSSCs. Despite of the absence of the specific anchoring groups with titania, ODB-2 dye molecules were spontaneously adsorbed onto the titania surfaces because the lactone ring in ODB-2 was opened and changed into the carboxylic acid (-COOH) by releasing protons from the surfaces (TiOH2 +) of titania, which consequently leads to the chemisorption reaction of ODB-2 molecules to the active sites of titania. DSSCs based on ODB-2 exhibited typical photovoltaic properties with an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.19 V, a short-circuit current (JSC) of 0.30 mA·cm-2, a fill factor (FF) of 37%, and a conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.02%.
