The first example of a heteroarylvinylene π-conjugated quaterpyridine Ru(II) sensitizer (N1044) was synthesized and used in dye-sensitized solar cells; the dye has an effective panchromatic absorption band, covering the entire visible spectrum up to the NIR region, and superior electrochemical characteristics (HOMO/LUMO and bandgap energies) with respect to previous representative Ru(II) bi- an...

The ruthenium-containing sensitizing dye N719 grafted on TiO2 nanoparticles was investigated by solid-state NMR. The carbon resonances are assigned by means of (13)C cross-polarized dipolar dephasing experiments. DFT calculations of the carbon magnetic shielding tensors accurately describe the changes in chemical shifts observed upon grafting onto a titania surface via one or two carboxylic fun...

A major deficit in suitable dyes is stifling progress in the dye-sensitised solar cell (DSC) industry. Materials discovery strategies have afforded numerous new dyes; yet, corresponding solution-based DSC device performance has little improved upon 11% efficiency, achieved using the N719 dye over two decades ago. Research on these dyes has nevertheless revealed relationships between the molecul...

A vertically aligned carbon nanofiber array coated with anatase TiO(2) (CNF/TiO(2)) is an attractive possible replacement for the sintered TiO(2) nanoparticle network in the original dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) design due to the potential for improved charge transport and reduced charge recombination. Although the reported efficiency of 1.1% in these modified DSSC's is encouraging, the lim...

We designed heteroleptic ruthenium complexes (RD12-RD15) containing fluoro-substituted benzimidazole ligands for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). These dyes were synthesized according to a typical one-pot procedure with the corresponding ancillary ligands produced in two simple steps; they were prepared into DSSC devices according to the same conditions of fabrication. The eventual devices s...

Ultrafast interfacial electron transfer in sensitized solar cells has mostly been probed by visible-to-terahertz radiation, which is sensitive to the free carriers in the conduction band of the semiconductor substrate. Here, we demonstrate the use of deep-ultraviolet continuum pulses to probe the interfacial electron transfer, by detecting a specific excitonic transition in both N719-sensitized...

Understanding electron-transfer (ET) processes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is crucial to improving their device performance. Recently, covalent attachment of dye molecules to mesoporous semiconductor nanoparticle films via molecular linkers has been employed to increase the stability of DSSC photoanodes. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of these DSSCs, however, is lower than DSSC...

A SnO2 nanocrystallite-based photoanode was prepared using tin (iv) chloride and fructose via a one-pot hydrothermal method, and its structural and morphological properties were studied. Structural observations revealed tetragonal crystals of SnO2, and morphological studies confirmed the presence of spherical nanoparticulates. Furthermore, encapsulating the surface of the SnO2 photoanode (+N719...

In view of the increased prospects of Zn2SnO4 as an alternative photoanode for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), we synthesized phase pure Zn2SnO4 nanostructures by a cost effective sonochemical technique. In order to establish the stability of this alternative photoanode in DSSCs, we further explored the interaction of the synthesized Zn2SnO4 with commonly used photosensitizers in DSSCs, suc...