Photovoltaic properties of new cyanine-naphthalimide dyads synthesized by 'Click' chemistry

Two novel cyanine dyads, in which a naphthalimide unit is attached to benzoindole ring of unsymmetric trimethine cyanine, have been synthesized via 'Click' reaction and characterized by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, and MS-ESI. Under the illumination of AM 1.5 (75 mW cm(-2)), the power conversion efficiency of cyanine I reached 4.8% (J(sc) = 14.5 mA cm(-2), V-oc = 0.50, FF = 0.49). The results show that the two cyanine dyes are promising sensitizers for nanocrystalline dye-sensitized solar cell. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.