DFT-TDDFT Computational Study of Three Different Chlorophyllous as Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs)

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are currently attracting widespread academic and commercial interest for the conversion of sunlight into electricity because of their low cost and high DSSCs are similar to natural photosynthesis in the initial processes involving in light-harvesting and charge separation. To gain a better understanding of the role of the sensitizer, particularly of its electronic structure and excited-state properties in the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell devices, we have carried out Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Time Dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations in solution of the geometry, electronic structure and optical absorption spectra of a Chl a derivative and its Mg-Phe a and Zn-Phe a -derived sensitizers. Calculations have been performed using the B3LYP exchange correlations functional, as implemented in the Gaussian03 program package. The geometries of were first optimized in vacuum using density functional 6-311G(d) method. Solvation effects were included by means of the Conductor-like polarizable continuum model (C-PCM) in the dichloromethane solvent. There is good agreement between the experimental and the TDDFT calculated absorption spectra of three Different Chlorophyllous sensitizers. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was also conducted on optimized geometries with the NBO program included in the Gaussian program package. From the orbital analysis and the orbital spatial orientation of HOMO and LUMO for Phe a, Mg-Phe a and Zn-Phe a -derived sensitizers, the result shows that Phe a seems to provide higher photo-toelectric conversion efficiencies.