Design and synthesis of a novel anchoring ligand for highly efficient thin film dye-sensitized solar cells

A novel ligand, 5,5'-(2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-diyl)-bis(thiophene-2-carboxylic acid) (BTC), and its Ru-II complex (BTC-1) in which the anchoring group is attached to the thiophene units were developed. Using a low-volatility electrolyte and 3.3 mu m mesoporous TiO2 films BTC-1 achieved a solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 6.1%, compared to 4.8% for N719 under the same experimental conditions.