Di(isothiocyanato)bis(4-methyl-4’-vinyl-2,2’-bipyridine) Ruthenium(II) Films Deposited on Titanium Oxide-Coated, Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide for an Efficient Solar Cell

Yi Liu, Ryuichi Sugimoto, Katsuhiro Sumi

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/gsc.2013.32011                

Abstract

Dye-sensitized titanium oxide electrodes were prepared by immobilizing a novel ruthenium complex, di(isothiocy- anato)bis(4-methyl-4’-vinyl-2,2’-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) [(NCS)₂(mvbpy)₂Ru(II)] or the ruthenium complex/sodium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate onto the surface of a titanium oxide-coated, fluorine-doped tin oxide (TiO₂/FTO) electrode through a new electrochemically initiated film formation method, in which the electrolysis step and the film deposition step were individually performed. The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of the Ru complex film on a TiO₂/FTO electrode was disappointedly insufficient (1.2% at 440 nm). In sharp contrast, the Ru(II) complex/so- dium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate composite film deposited on the surface of a TiO₂/FTO electrode showed maximum IPCE of 31.7% at 438 nm.

Keywords

Methylvinylbipyridine; Ruthenium Complex; Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell; Photon-to-Current Conversion Efficiency

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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