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Four polymeric metal complexes ( P1- P4) based on 1,10-phenanthroline metal complexes and alkylfluorene or alkoxybenzene were synthesized by the Heck coupling reaction and were developed for dye-sensitized solar cell applications. The target dyes use alkoxybenzene or alkylfluorene as the electron donor, a C=C moiety as the π linker, and the phenanthroline derivative complex was used as the electron acceptor. Bipyridine derivatives were ancillary ligands as well as providing anchoring groups. The thermal, photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties of these copolymers were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), C-V curves and I-V curves. Dye-sensitized solar cells with these polymeric metal complexes as dye sensitizers exhibited considerable power conversion efficiencies (PCE). The dyes containing alkoxybenzenes ( P3, P4) exhibited higher PCE values than the corresponding target polymers containing alkylfluorenes ( P1, P2), The dye P3 showed the maximal power conversion efficiency of 2.12 % ( Jsc = 4.91 mA/cm2, Voc = 0.69 V, FF = 62.5). In addition, the four polymers possessed excellent stabilities, and their thermal decomposition temperatures all exceeded 300 °C, indicating that these polymeric metal complexes are suitable for the fabrication processes of optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four novel donor-π-bridge-acceptor(D-π-A) main chain polymeric metal complexes (P1, P2, P3 and P4) as dye sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on Zn(II) or Cd(II) complexes with fluorene and 8-hydroxyquinoline ligand have been synthesized by the Heck coupling and characterized by FT-IR, Elemental analysis and GPC. The optical properties, thermal properties, electrochemical properties and photovoltaic properties of these polymeric metal complexes have been investigated and studied by TGA, DSC, C-V curves and I-V curves. DSSCs based on P1 and P3 show good photovoltaic performances and the corresponding power conversion efficiency (PCE) are up to 1.99 % (J = 4.59 mA cm, V = 0.68 V, FF = 0.636) and 2.05 % (J = 5.25 mA cm, V = 0.60 eV, FF = 0.65) under simulated AM 1.5 G solar irradiation (100 mW cm). Besides, they showed good stabilities with thermal decomposition Temperatures are 421, 441, 413, 385 °C, respectively, which are suitable for DSSCs. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Four new donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) dyes (P1, P2, P3, P4) were synthesized, characterized and applied in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) or Bisthien PPV was used as donor, ethilenic link or thiophene as π-bridge, and Cadmium complexes or Nickel complexes as acceptor in these D-π-A type sensitizers. The introduction of the polymerization of π system and the metal complexes has greatly increased the light absorption. Increasing the number of thienyl group in the molecule to a certain extent was effective in further lowering both the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels to attain higher open-circuit voltage (V oc). Among them, P3-based cell shows excellent photovoltaic performance and power conversion efficiency up to 2.25% under AM 1.5G irradiation (100 mW cm−2). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]