Dr. Denise Täubert

Multi-Chromophore Ensembles with Subphthalocyanines as Energy Transfer Systems for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Light-driven processes will become more and more important in tackling current energy and environmental problems. Inspired by photosynthetic processes, the demand of innovative energy transfer systems for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) increases.^1,2 The aim of my current work is to synthesize antenna and energy transfer systems by combining different chromophores to one molecular ensemble.

The cone-shaped subphthalocyanines (SubPcs) are very suitable dyes in this respect due to their photophysical and chemical properties.^1,3,4 Efficient antenna systems maximize their interaction with light by assembling multiple chromophores in a confined space.

At the focus of my work lies the synthesis of multi-chromophore ensembles from the combination of SubPcs with porphyrins (Por), boron dipyrromethenes (Bodipy) and rylene dyes as the respective cores. In a first prototypical design I used the meso-positions of a Por as a scaffold for four SubPc units. Photophysical measurements of this ensemble demonstrate an energy transfer from the peripheral SubPc to the porphyrin center: Upon irradiation at the longest wavelength absorption band of the SubPcs the fluorescence only emanates from the Por dye (see Fig. 1).

The mid-term goal of this work is to use the multi-chromophore ensembles as antenna and energy transfer systems in DSSCs (see Fig. 2). For this, I need to link the complex dye with an appropriate anchoring group to the TiO₂ electrode material in order to facilitate electron transfer and hence to improve the efficiency of organic solar cells.

[1]   D. González-Rodríguez, G. Bottari, J. Porphyrins Phthalocyanines 2009, 13, 624-636.
[2]   B. Balli, B. Demirkan, B. Sen, F. Sen, in Nanophotocatalysis and Environmental Applications: 
       Energy Conversion and Chemical Transformations (Eds.: Inamuddin, M. I. Ahamed, A. M. Asiri, 
       E. Lichtfouse), Springer, Cham, 2019, pp. 103-123.
[3]   A. Y. Tolbin, L. G. Tomilova, Russ. Chem. Rev. 2011, 80, 531.
[4.]  C. G. Claessens, D. González-Rodríguez, M. S. Rodríguez-Morgade, A. Medina, T. Torres, 
       Chem. Rev. 2014, 114, 2192-2277.

D. Täubert, R. Faust
“Multi-Chromophore Ensembles with Subphthalocyanines and BODIPYs as Energy Transfer Systems for DSSCs”, 12^th International Conference on Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines (ICPP-12), Madrid, July 10-15, 2022.

D. Täubert, R. Faust
“Multi-Chromophore Ensembles with Subphthalocyanines as Energy Transfer Systems”, GDCh Wissenschaftsforum (WiFo-2021), Virtual Meeting, August 29 - September 1, 2021.

D. Täubert, R. Faust
“Multi-Chromophore Ensembles with Subphthalocyanines as Energy Transfer Systems”, 11^th International Conference on Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines (ICPP-11), Virtual Meeting, June 28 - July 3, 2021.

D. Täubert, R. Münnich, R. Faust
“Synthese polyphenylierter Phthalocyanine zur photokatalytischen Generierung von reaktivem Singulett-Sauerstoff”, GDCh Wissenschaftsforum (WiFo-2017), Berlin, September 10-14, 2017.

D. Täubert
“Polyphenylierte Phthalocyanine zur photokatalytischen Erzeugung von reaktivem Singulett Sauerstoff”, Wissenschaftliche Hausarbeit zum 1. Staatsexamen, Universität Kassel, 2017.