Conjugated Organic Sensitizers for Solar Energy Conversion

Efficient conversion of solar energy into electricity (photovoltaics) as well as its employment to promote useful photocatalytic reactions have been amongst the most active research areas of the last decade, mostly due to the need of shifting the global primary energy base from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. In recent years, our group focused on the development of organic materials for new generation photovoltaic devices, more specifically investigating the design and synthesis of novel organic sensitizers for dye -sensitized solar cells (DSSC). During the course of this work, we developed compounds based on the well-known D-?-A or D-A-?-A architectures, featuring a range of several heterocyclic units and functional groups in each of the different segments of the molecule. In this communication, we will describe the main methods employed to synthesize the desired compounds, focusing in particular on the tailored application of transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling procedures. The photovoltaic performances of DSSCs built using the different sensitizers will be presented, and possible modifications aimed at improving their efficiency and stability will be discussed.