Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV14)
Publication date: 1st March 2014
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are a low cost and colorful promising alternative to standard silicon photovoltaic cells. Though many of the highest efficiencies have been associated with sensitizers absorbing only in the visible portion of the solar radiation, there is a growing interest for NIR sensitization.1,2
Squaraine dyes have attracted considerable attention as NIR sensitizers in DSCs due to their sharp and intense absorption3. In this work we present the optimized preparation of a series of symmetrical and unsymmetrical squaraines through microwave-assisted synthesis, which has been established as a powerful technique, drastically reducing reaction times and enhancing yields and purity. Indolenine quaternization via microwaves was optimized through a Design of Experiments, with a considerable gain in times in comparison with the classical way of synthesis (from days to minutes) and comparable or higher yields. Squaraines were then synthesized in 20-40 minutes (several hours in the classical way) and, in the case of symmetrical squaraines, simple crystallization afforded the pure products in high yields.
Another way of getting NIR sensitization is the use of panchromatic ruthenium complexes. Also in this case the microwave-assisted procedure4 can afford a facile synthetic route to obtain functionalized tetradentate ligands and the related complexes with good yield and purity.
A few examples will be discussed for each class of sensitizers.
1 Park, J.; Viscardi, G.; Barolo, C.; Barbero, N. Near-infrared sensitization in dye sensitized solar cells. Chimia 2013, 67, 129‒135. 2 Magistris, C.; Martiniani, S.; Barbero, N.; Park, J.; Benzi, C.; Anderson, A.; Law, C.; Barolo, C.; O’Regan, B. Near-infrared Absorbing Squaraine Dye with extended π conjugation for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells. Renew. Energ. 2013, 60, 672‒678. 3 Beverina, L.; Salice, P. Squaraine Compounds: Tailored Design and Synthesis towards a Variety of Material Science Applications. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2010, 1207‒1225. 4 Barolo, C.; Yum, J.-H.; Artuso, E.; Barbero, N.; Di Censo, D.; Lobello, M. G.; Fantacci, S.; De Angelis, F.; Grätzel, M.; Nazeeruddin, Md. K.; Viscardi G. A simple synthetic route to obtain pure transruthenium(II) complexes for dye sensitized solar cell applications. ChemSusChem 2013, 6, 2170–2180.
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