The synthesis of novel BODIPY compounds for DSSC applications.

The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) represents one of the most promising next-generation photovoltaic technologies. In addition, the DSSC manifold provides an exceptional platform to further appreciate photoinduced electron transfer and the fundamental features required for light-harvesting. The dye molecule is a key component in the DSSC and has achieved minor success utilizing both an organic and inorganic photosensitizers. DSSC’s show great promise owing to their inexpensive synthesis tunable optical and electrochemical properties, and a plethora of design possibilities. The typical anatomy of organic and inorganic DSSC dyes are comprised of a redox-active donor/chromophore (D) that is connected, through a conjugated linker (π), to an acceptor (A) capable of anchoring to titania (TiO2). Fine tuning each of these components can shift the absorption spectrum increasing the overall device efficiency. Boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) is an attractive moiety to integrate into DSSC dyes. BODIPY’s rigid organic framework should be able to improve dye stability while the high extinction coefficients of BODIPY based molecules have the potential to increase device performance. Herein, we explore the synthesis and physicochemical properties of BODIPY in an attempt to synthesize efficient DSSC dye molecules and efficient photovoltaic technologies.