A Simple Synthetic Route to Obtain Pure Trans-Ruthenium(II) Complexes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

• Published in: ChemSusChem Vol. 6; no. 11; pp. 2170 - 2180
• Main Authors: Barolo, Claudia, Yum, Jun-Ho, Artuso, Emma, Barbero, Nadia, Di Censo, Davide, Lobello, Maria Grazia, Fantacci, Simona, De Angelis, Filippo, Grätzel, Michael, Nazeeruddin, Mohammed Khaja, Viscardi, Guido
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.11.2013; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adsorption; Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; Coloring Agents - chemistry; Coordination Complexes - chemical synthesis; Coordination Complexes - chemistry; Electric Power Supplies; Electrochemistry; Electrons; Ligands; microwave chemistry; Models, Molecular; Molecular Conformation; Photovoltaic cells; Quantum Theory; ruthenium; Ruthenium - chemistry; sensitizers; solar cells; Solar energy; Sunlight; Titanium - chemistry; trans-RuII complexes; ruthenium; solar cells; trans-RuII complexes; microwave chemistry; sensitizers
• ISSN: 1864-5631; 1864-564X
• DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201200973

We report a facile synthetic route to obtain functionalized quaterpyridine ligand and its trans‐dithiocyanato ruthenium complex, based on a microwave‐assisted procedure. The ruthenium complex has been purified using a silica chromatographic column by protecting carboxylic acid groups as iso‐butyl ester, which are subsequently hydrolyzed. The highly pure complex exhibits panchromatic response throughout the visible region. DFT/time‐dependent DFT calculations have been performed on the ruthenium complex in solution and adsorbed onto TiO2 to analyze relative electronic and optical properties. The ruthenium complex endowed with the functionalized quaterpyridine ligand was used as a sensitizer in dye‐sensitized solar cell yielding a short‐circuit photocurrent density of more than 19 mA cm−2 with a broad incident photon to current conversion efficiency spectra ranging from 400 to 900 nm, exceeding 80 % at 700 nm. Pure­ trans‐Ru complexes for DSSCs: A facile synthetic route to obtain functionalized quaterpyridine ligand and its trans‐dithiocyanato Ru complex, based on a microwave‐assisted procedure, is presented. The highly pure complex exhibits panchromatic response throughout the visible region and shows a high overall photovoltaic conversion efficiency at standard AM 1.5 sunlight, the best efficiency reported up to now for tetradentate ligand‐based RuII dyes.