Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) (1) have emerged as one of the possible technologies for converting solar light into electricity. Phthalocyanines are among the few molecules that reveal an intense NIR absorption and therefore, constitute promising dyes as DSC photosensitizers. In fact, they exhibit very high extinction coefficients in a wavelength range that extends to around 700 nm, where the maximum of the solar photon flux occurs. On the other hand, Pcs represent excellent light harvesting antennas for their incorporation into donor-acceptor systems, mainly in connection with carbon nanostructures as acceptor moieties (2).Here we report the synthesis of new titanium phthalocyanines 1  and 2  bearing sulfonic acid moieties as anchoring groups and their application to the sensitization of nanocrystalline, mesoporous TiO2 films. The axial ligand is employed both to anchor the dye to the nanocrystalline TiO2 particles and to prevent the aggregation of the macrocycles. By using this axial ligation approach we are able to control the distance between the HOMO orbital of the chromophore and the TiO2 surface and thereby the electron injection and recombination dynamics. (1)  (a) O�Regan, B.; Gr�tzel, M. Nature 1991 , 353, 737. (b) Cao, Y. M.; Bai, Y.; Yu, Q. J.; Cheng, Y. M.; Liu, S.; Shi, D.; Gao, F. F.; Wang, P. J. Phys. Chem. C 2009 , 113, 6290. (c) Gr�tzel, M., Acc.Chem. Res. 2009 , 42, 1788.(2)   Bottari, G.; de la Torre, G.; Guldi, D.M.; Torres, T.  Chem. Rev. 2010 , 110,  6768.

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on titanium phthalocyanines

245th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.