Topic

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).

Fig. 1 Prototype of the multi-chromophore ensemble from the combination of four SubPcs with a Por dye (left). Absorption and fluorescence spectra of the ensemble (right).

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.

Fig. 2 Multi-chromophore ensemble from the combination of SubPcs with Por and an anchoring group to TiO2 in a DSSC.

References

[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.

Poster Presentations

D. Täubert, R. Faust
“Multi-Chromophore Ensembles with Subphthalocyanines and BODIPYs as Energy Transfer Systems for DSSCs”, 12th 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”, 11th 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.

Thesis

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

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