Recent Investigations on Thiocyanate-Free Ruthenium(II) 2,2′-Bipyridyl Complexes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Three decades ago, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) emerged as a method for harnessing the energy of the sun and for converting it into electricity. Since then, a lot of work has been devoted to create better global photovoltaic efficiencies and long term stability. Among photosensitizers for DSSCs, thiocyanate-free ruthenium(II) complexes have gained increasing interest due to their better stability compared to conventional thiocyanate-based complexes, such as benchmark dyes N719 and Z907. In this mini-review, two classes of thiocyanate-free Ru(II) complexes are presented: (a) bis-bipyridyl compounds bearing an ancillary cyclometalating bidentate ligand; (b) bipyridyl compounds bearing non-cyclometalating ancillary ligands. The coverage, mainly from 2014 up to now, is not exhaustive, but illustrates the most recent design strategies and photovoltaic properties of these two families of ruthenium(II) dyes