Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) efficiencies have improved only incrementally in recent years, primarily because of their single band gap design, limitations in dye absorption energies, and the Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit. Just as multiple P/N junction solar cells have been shown to surmount the SQ limit, it has been theorized that a multiple band gap DSSCs can surmount the SQ limit by absorbing two near-infrared photons. Calculations have shown that incorporating carborane cluster-based macrocyclic compounds into DSSC systems could alleviate some of the inherent problems, including extending the useable photon energy into the IR region by using a multi-photon, multi-step mechanism, effectively surmounting the SQ limit. This paper will present details of the synthesis and characterization of a prototypic carborane cluster-containing macrocyclic molecule based on the conjunction of a benzophenone and a carborane analog of benzophenone. The prototype target molecule is shown.

Synthesis of a benzophenone and a carborane cluster analog based macrocyclic compound as a target for incorporation in dye-sensitized solar cells

246th National Meeting (2013)

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