PALLADIUM(II)-PORPHYRIN COMPLEXES AS EFFICIENT SENSITIZERS FOR SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION

Abstract

The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and thin-layer heterojunctional solar cells have attracted much attention as an alternative to relatively expensive silicon-based solar cells. Among the various photosensitizers used to build these cells, porphyrins have proven to be outstanding candidates due to their strong absorption in the visible region and have established basic and peripheral modification methods to adjust their geometry and electronic structures. Due to the improved spectral properties, the electronic spectra of these materials have been extensively studied. In this paper, the information obtained using both ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy have been used to evaluate the use of Pd-TPP (palladium-5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl porphyrin) as sensitizer dye on different glass substrate coated with transparent conducting oxides. The electrical characterization and quantum efficiency results, related with Pd-TPP-sensitized heterojunctional supramolecular solar cells, are also highlighted.