Abstract
A series of functionalized ferrocene derivatives carrying electron-donor and electron-withdrawing (hetero)aromatic substituents has been designed as potential alternative electrolyte redox couples for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The compounds have been synthesized and fully characterized in their optical and electrochemical properties. A general synthetic approach that implies the use of a microwave assisted Suzuki coupling has been developed to access a significative number of compounds. The presence of different electron-rich and electron-poor substituents provided fine tuning of optical properties and energy levels. HOMO and LUMO energy values showed that the substitution of one or two cyclopentadienyl rings of ferrocene can be successfully exploited to increase the maximum attainable voltage from a standard DSSC device using TiO2 as a semiconductor, opening the way to highly efficient, non-toxic, and cheap redox shuttles to be employed in solar energy technologies.
Highlights
Over the past two decades, hybrid organic-inorganic solar cells, in particular dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), have attracted a huge interest in the scientific community
We found that the redox process is reversible in all the investigated compounds, because the reduction process of the oxidized compounds was able to successfully regenerate the original Fc derivatives as demonstrated from cyclic voltammetry (Figure 3) and spectroelectrochemistry
The general synthetic pathway is of wide pertinence and could be conveniently applied to the preparation of other interesting examples starting from readily available precursors
Summary
Over the past two decades, hybrid organic-inorganic solar cells, in particular dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), have attracted a huge interest in the scientific community. Since their first report by Graetzel in 1991 [1], DSSC have continuously increased their power conversion efficiencies (PCE), recently reaching a record efficiency exceeding 14% [2,3,4,5,6,7].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
