Synthesis and photoelectrochemical characterization of a high molar extinction coefficient heteroleptic ruthenium(II) complex

A new high molar extinction coefficient heteroleptic ruthenium(II) complex (m-BL-1) that contains a 4,4'4 ''-tricaboxy-2,2': 6',2 ''-terpyridine, 4,4'-bis-[3,5-di-tert-butyl-phenyl)-vinyl]-[2,2']bipyridyl and a thiocyanate ligand in its molecular structure has been synthesized and completely characterized by CHN, Mass, H-1-NMR, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopies as well as cyclic voltammetry. The new sensitizer was tested in dye-sensitized solar cells using three different redox electrolytes and compared its performance to that of standard sensitizer black dye.