Perspective on the rational design strategies of quinoxaline derived organic sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC)

Abstract

The incessant escalation of global energy consumption undeniably has led fossil fuel reserves to their verge of depletion. So, the need for an unlimited source of energy has led researchers to explore solar energy as the alternate energy reserve. Especially, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have received considerable attention, since they allow low-cost photovoltaic energy conversion which is sustainable as well as capable of fulfilling the global energy demand. The molecular design of the sensitizers is one of the several indispensable aspects for achieving high power conversion efficiencies. Quinoxaline scaffold represents one such versatile building block that has been significantly utilized for the synthesis of materials for optoelectronic applications especially, organic bulk heterojunction photovoltaic materials as well as DSSC's. The structural versatility of quinoxaline as well as its easy accessibility and electron-withdrawing ability has resulted in the development of several quinoxaline-based optoelectronic materials. However, there exist no reports which have elaborated the role of quinoxaline and the design strategies involving quinoxaline in maneuvering the power conversion efficiencies of the organic sensitizers for DSSCs. Therefore, the review article aims at offering a comprehensive overview of the diverse approaches to build quinoxaline-based sensitizers for organic DSSC's as well as enlightening readers with ideas about designing sensitizers utilizing other electron-deficient heterocyclic scaffolds as well.