Recent Investigations on Thiocyanate-Free Ruthenium(II) 2,2'-Bipyridyl Complexes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Luca Mauri; Alessia Colombo; Claudia Dragonetti; Dominique Roberto; Francesco Fagnani

doi:10.3390/molecules26247638

Recent Investigations on Thiocyanate-Free Ruthenium(II) 2,2'-Bipyridyl Complexes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Molecules. 2021 Dec 16;26(24):7638. doi: 10.3390/molecules26247638.

Authors

Luca Mauri¹, Alessia Colombo¹, Claudia Dragonetti¹, Dominique Roberto¹, Francesco Fagnani¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, UdR-INSTM, Via C. Golgi 19, I-20133 Milan, Italy.

Abstract

Three decades ago, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) emerged as a method for harnessing the energy of the sun and for converting it into electricity. Since then, a lot of work has been devoted to create better global photovoltaic efficiencies and long term stability. Among photosensitizers for DSSCs, thiocyanate-free ruthenium(II) complexes have gained increasing interest due to their better stability compared to conventional thiocyanate-based complexes, such as benchmark dyes N719 and Z907. In this mini-review, two classes of thiocyanate-free Ru(II) complexes are presented: (a) bis-bipyridyl compounds bearing an ancillary cyclometalating bidentate ligand; (b) bipyridyl compounds bearing non-cyclometalating ancillary ligands. The coverage, mainly from 2014 up to now, is not exhaustive, but illustrates the most recent design strategies and photovoltaic properties of these two families of ruthenium(II) dyes.

Keywords: bipyridine ruthenium complexes; dye-sensitized solar cells; photosensitizers; thiocyanate-free ruthenium dyes.

Publication types

Review