Three Synthetic Routes to a Commercial N3 Dye

Abstract

Abstract —We present the synthesis and characterization of a commercial standard ruthenium dye namely, N3, by cheap and easily prepared starting materials from three synthetic routes: the Gratzel’s protocol and the other two new methods designed in our laboratory, i.e. , the one-pot reaction and via the reaction of cymeme complex. Index Terms —Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), N3, ruthenium complexes dye. I. I NTRODUCTION In the next few year, we will run out the fossil fuel enegy so the sciencentists have tried to find the replace of energy source. Solar energy is one of the most promising future energy which referred as “photovoltaic cells” (PV) [1]. However, the first generation of PV is an inorganic thin-film photovoltaic devices, i.e. , CdTe [2] and CuIn(As)Se [3], which contain highly toxic and expensive materials. For that reason, the second generation of solar converters called “dye-sensitized solar cells ( DSCs)” has been developed [4], [5]. This solar cell architecture has emerged as a promising candidate for practical photovoltaic applications by virtue of their low manufacturing costs and good conversion efficiencies [1], [2]. Numerous sensitizers have been prepared and their performance has been tested. DSSCs with power conversion efficiencies over 10% under AM 1.5 irradiation were initially demonstrated using prototype