Near-IR Photoresponse of Ruthenium Dipyrrinate Terpyridine Sensitizers in the Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Coordination of bidentate 5-pentafluorophenyldipyrrinate (pfpdp) or 5-(2-thienyl)dipyrrinate (2-tdp) to a Ru-II center bearing 2,2':6',2 ''-terpyridine-4,4',4 ''-tricarboxylate (tctpy) and a NCS- ligand results in strongly light-absorbing complexes [Ru(tctpy)(L)(NCS)] (L = pfpdp or 2-tdp). Anchored to a mesoporous TiO2 electrode, these complexes afford a photoaction spectral response at wavelengths of up to 950 nm, one of the most red-shifted values reported to date for molecular dyes in the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC).