Efficient Ruthenium Sensitizer with an Extended π‑Conjugated Terpyridine Ligand for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

A ruthenium sensitizer with an extended π-conjugated terpyridine (<b>TUS-42</b>) has been synthesized for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Upon extension of the π-conjugated system of the terpyridine ligand, the conversion efficiency of the DSC with <b>TUS-42</b> improved successfully to 10.7%, which is almost comparable to that of one of the most efficient ruthenium sensitizers (Black dye). Interestingly, an extremely large short-circuit current density (<i>J</i>_sc) value (22.7 mA/cm²) was obtained in the DSC with <b>TUS-42</b> even though the amount of dye adsorption to the TiO₂ photoelectrode is relatively small