Tuning the Acceptor Unit of Push-Pull Porphyrazines for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

A family of four push–pull porphyrazines of A₃B type, where each unit A contains two peripheral propyl chains and the unit B is endowed with a carboxylic acid, were prepared. The carboxylic acid was attached to the β-position of the pyrrolic unit, either directly (Pz 10), or through cyanovinyl (Pz 11) and phenyl (Pz 7) groups. The fourth Pz (14) consisted in a pyrazinoporphyrazine wherein the dinitrogenated heterocycle provided intrinsic donor–acceptor character to the macrocycle and contained a carboxyphenyl substituent. The direct attachment of the carboxylic acid functions and their linkers to the porphyrazine core produces stronger perturbation on the electronic properties of the macrocycle, with respect to their connection through fused benzene or pyrazine rings in TT112 and 14, respectively. The HOMO and LUMO energies of the Pzs, which were estimated with DFT calculations, show little variation within the series, except upon introduction of the cyanovinyl spacer, which produces a decrease in both frontier orbital energetic levels. This effective interaction of cyanovinyl substitution with the macrocycle is also evidenced in UV/Vis spectroscopy, where a large splitting of the Q-band indicates strong desymmetrization of the Pz. The performance of the four Pzs as photosensitizers in DSSCs were also investigated.

Carbazole-functionalized cobalt(ii) porphyrin axially bonded with C60/C70 derivatives: synthesis and characterization

Depending on the structure of the fullero[60]/[70]pyrrolidine, the carbazole-functionalized cobalt(ii) porphyrin forms donor–acceptor systems of different compositions.

Lu(iii) bis-phthalocyanines containing carbazole moieties: synthesis, characterization, electrochemical properties and sensor applications

In this study, the synthesis and characterization of sandwich type Lu(iii) bis-phthalocyanines bearing electropolymerizable carbazole groups were evaluated and their electrochemical sensing properties studied towards DA, UA and AA.

Push-Pull Zinc Phthalocyanine Bearing Hexa-Tertiary Substituted Carbazolyl Donor Groups for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

An asymmetrical, push–pull phthalocyanine bearing bulky tert-butylcarbazolyl moieties as electron donor and carboxylic acid as anchoring group was synthetized and tested as a photosensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The new photosensitizer was characterized by 1H and 13C NMR, UV–Vis and mass spectrometry. The bulky tert-butylcarbazolyl moieties avoid the aggregation of the phthalocyanine dye. DFT studies indicate that the HOMO is delocalized throughout the π-electron system of the substituted phthalocyanine and the LUMO is located on the core of the molecule with a sizable electron density distribution on carboxyl groups. The new dye has been used as a photosensitizer in transparent and opaque dye-sensitized solar cells, which exhibit poor efficiencies related to a low Jsc.

Zinc phthalocyanines as light harvesters for SnO2-based solar cells: a case study

SnO₂ nanoparticles have been synthesized and used as electron transport material (ETM) in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), featuring two peripherally substituted push-pull zinc phthalocyanines (ZnPcs) bearing electron donating diphenylamine substituents and carboxylic acid anchoring groups as light harvesters. These complexes were designed on the base of previous computational studies suggesting that the integration of secondary amines as donor groups in the structure of unsymmetrical ZnPcs might enhance photovoltaics performances of DSSCs. In the case of TiO₂-based devices, this hypothesis has been recently questioned by experimental results. Herein we show that the same holds for SnO₂, despite the optimal matching of the optoelectronic characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles and diphenylamino-substituted ZnPcs, thus confirming that other parameters heavily affect the solar cells performances and should be carefully taken into account when designing materials for photovoltaic applications.

Panchromatic Photosensitizers Based on Push-Pull, Unsymmetrically Substituted Porphyrazines

A series of five push-pull porphyrazines of A₃ B type, in which unit B is an isoindole 4-carboxylic acid, has been prepared. The units A have been endowed with thioether, amine, ether and alkyl functions, either directly attached to the β-position of the pyrrolic units, or connected to the porphyrazine core through p-substituted phenyl groups. Attaching the electron-donor functions to the porphyrazine periphery produces strong perturbations in the electronic and redox properties of the dyes. Their HOMO and LUMO energies, estimated from the optical and redox data, as well as with DFT calculations, raise upon functionalization with amines, while the corresponding frontier orbital energetic levels lower upon functionalization with thioethers, p-methoxyphenyl or p-tert-butylphenyl groups. The effective interaction of peripheral substitution with the macrocycle produces chromophores with panchromatic absorption between 300 and 750-850 nm.

Evaluation of the Intramolecular Charge-Transfer Properties in Solvatochromic and Electrochromic Zinc Octa(carbazolyl)phthalocyanines

2,3,9,10,16,17,23·24-Octakis-(9H-carbazol-9-yl) phthalocyaninato zinc(II) (3) and 2,3,9,10,16,17,23·24-octakis-(3,6-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbazole) phthalocyaninato zinc(II) (4) complexes were prepared and characterized by NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography. UV-vis and MCD data are indicative of the interligand charge-transfer nature of the broad band observed in 450-500 nm range for 3 and 4. The redox properties of 3 and 4 were probed by electrochemical and spectro-electrochemical methods, which are suggestive of phthalocyanine-centered first oxidation and reduction processes. Photophysics of 3 and 4 were investigated by steady-state fluorescence and time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy demonstrating the influence of the carbazole substituents on deactivation from the first excited state in 3 and 4. Protonation of the meso-nitrogen atoms in 3 results in much faster deactivation kinetics from the first excited state. Spectroscopic data were correlated with density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations on 3 and 4.

The spectroscopic impact of interactions with the four Gouterman orbitals from peripheral decoration of porphyrins with simple electron withdrawing and donating groups

Porphyrin β-substitution with strong electron withdrawing groups splits the LUMO, red-shifts the Q band, and introduces a dipole moment.