Organic synthesis applied to photovoltaics: new efficient sensitizers for transparent and near infrared (NIR) absorbing Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Presently, Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) are considered one of the most promising technologies to convert solar energy in electric current due to their low cost of production, their innovative aesthetic properties and their easy integration in buildings and objects. The dye, which can be a completely organic molecule, is the photoactive material and is considered the heart of the DSSC. Exceeding the current record efficiency is not the unique goal which can be pursued in order to make DSSC the most relevant photovoltaic technology: stability, transparency and color are pivotal properties for a future worldwide commercialization of DSSCs. During this Ph.D., these targets have been pursued by working on the structure of new organic photosensitizers. A careful design of the structures through computational analysis has been accomplished, then the synthesis of the selected dyes has been planned and executed, and the optimization of reaction conditions using sustainable procedure has been carried out when possible. Finally, the photovoltaic performances of the solar cells built with our dyes have been assessed and compared with those of reference dyes.