Electronic properties of Fe charge transfer complexes - A combined experimental and theoretical approach

Dye-sensitized solar cell technology holds huge potential in renewable electricity generation of the future. Due to demand urgency, ways need to be explored to reduce research time and cost. Against this background, quantum computational chemistry is illustrated to be a reliable tool at the onset of studies in this field, simulating charge transfer, spectral (solar energy absorbed) and electrochemical (ease by which electrons may be liberated) tuning of related photo-responsive dyes. Comparative experimental and theoretical DFT studies were done under similar conditions, involving an extended series of electrochemically altered phenanthrolines, bipyridyl and terpyridyl complexes of FeII. Fe-II/III oxidation waves vary from 0.363 V for tris(3,6-dimethoxybipyridyl)Fe-II to 0.894 V (versus Fc/Fc(+)) for the 5-nitrophenanthroline complex. Theoretical DFT computed ionization potentials in the bipyridyl sub-series achieved an almost 100% linear correlation with experimental electrochemical oxidation potentials, while the phenanthroline sub-series gave R-2 = 0.95. Apart from the terpyridyl complex which accorded an almost perfect match, in general, TDDFT oscillators were computed at slightly lower energies than what was observed experimentally, while molecular HOMO and LUMO renderings reveal desired complexes with directional charge transfer propensities. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.