Modification of electron transfer properties in photoelectrochemical solar cells by substituting {Ru(terpy)2}2+ dyes with thiophene

A comparison of the properties of the 2-thienyl-substituted carboxyphenyl {RuII(terpy)2} dyes with their non-substituted analogues has enabled us to gain insight into the electronic properties that are prerequisite for efficient electron injection into the TiO2 conduction band in photoelectrochemical solar cells. Introducing the thienyl group has a profound effect upon the efficiency of photoinduced electron injection. This effect can be explained by a significant shift in the LUMO position from the terpy ligand anchored on the TiO2 surface towards the 2-thienyl substituted ligand, which is shown by means of electrochemistry and semi-empirical calculations.