Effect of the anchoring group in Ru-bipyridyl sensitizers on the photoelectrochemical behavior of dye-sensitized TiO2 electrodes:: Carboxylate versus phosphonate linkages

The effects of the number of anchoring groups (carboxylate vs phosphonate) in Ru-bipyridyl complexes on their binding to TiO2 surface and the photoelectrochemical performance of the sensitized TiO2 electrodes were systematically investigated. Six derivatives of Ru-bipyridyl complexes having di-, tetra-, or hexacarboxylate (C2, C4, and C6) and di-, tetra-, or hexaphosphonate (P2, P4, and P6) as the anchoring group were synthesized. The properties and efficiencies of C- and P-complexes as a sensitizer depended on the number of anchoring groups in very different ways. Although C4 exhibited the lowest visible light absorption, C-4-TiO2 electrode showed the best cell performance and stability among C-TiO2 electrodes. However, P6, which has the highest visible light absorption, was more efficient than P2 and P4 as a sensitizer of TiO2. The surface binding (strength and stability) of C-complexes on TiO2 is highly influenced by the number of carboxylate groups and is the most decisive factor in controlling the sensitization efficiency. A phosphonate anchor, however, can provide a stronger chemical linkage to TiO2 surface, and the overall sensitization performance was less influenced by the adsorption capability of P-complexes. The apparent effect of the anchoring group number on the P-complex sensitization seems to be mainly related with the visible light absorption efficiency of each P-complex.