Fabrication of thin film nanocrystalline TiO2 solar cells using ruthenium complexes with carboxyl and sulfonyl groups

Two ruthenium complexes with carboxyl and sulfonyl groups have been synthesized, [RuII(L1)2(NCS)2] RuIIbis(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline-disulfonic acid disodium salt)-di(thiocyanate) [K313], [RuII(L1)2(dcbpy)] RuII bis(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline-disulfonic acid disodium salt)(4,4′-dicarboxy-2,2′-bipyridyl) [K314] as photosensitizers. UV–vis, fluorescence emission, AFM and CV measurements are also supplied for ruthenium complexes. Photovoltaic properties of dye sensitized nanocrystalline semiconductor solar cells based on Ruthenium complexes which bear carboxyl and sunfonyl groups have been tested under standard AM 1.5 sunlight. Under the standard global AM 1.5 solar conditions, K314 and K313-sensitized solar cells demonstrate short circuit photocurrent densities of 14.92 mA/cm2 and 11.23 mA/cm2 and overall conversion efficiencies of 5.09% and 4.02%, respectively.