Efficient ruthenium sensitizer with a terpyridine ligand having a hexylthiophene unit for dye-sensitized solar cells: Effects of the substituent position on the solar cell performance

A novel ruthenium sensitizer with a terpyridine ligand having a hexylthiophene unit at the 4-position (TUS-38) has been synthesized to investigate the effects of the substituent position on the photo- and electrochemical properties and on solar cell performance. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) with TUS-38 showed a 10.6 % conversion efficiency under AM 1.5 (100 mW/cm²) irradiation, which is much higher than that of the DSC with a previously reported ruthenium sensitizer with a terpyridine ligand having two hexylthiophene units at the 5- and 5″-positions. A novel ruthenium sensitizer with a terpyridine ligand having a hexylthiophene unit at the 4-position (TUS-38) has been synthesized, and the dye-sensitized solar cell with TUS-38 showed a 10.6 % conversion efficiency under AM 1.5 (100 mW/cm²) irradiation.