Photosensitizing activity of ferrocenyl bearing Ni(ii) and Cu(ii) dithiocarbamates in dye sensitized TiO2 solar cells

Abstract

Biferrocene bearing planar metal dithiocarbamates, namely, [M(FcCH₂dtc)₂] (dtc = furan-2-ylmethyldithiocarbamate, M = Cu(II) 1, Ni(II) 4; dtc = benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethyl dithiocarbamate, M = Cu(II) 2, Ni(II) 5; dtc = pyridin-2-ylmethyldithiocarbamate, M = Cu(II) 3, Ni(II) 6; Fc = ferrocenyl; Fe(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η⁵-C₅H₄–)), have been synthesized and characterized by microanalysis, magnetic susceptibility and cyclic voltammetry. Structures of 1, 2 and 4 have been obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction. These complexes with pyridyl, piperonyl and furfuryl as heteroaromatic groups in the dithiocarbamate ligands have been exploited as sensitizers in dye sensitized TiO₂ solar cells for converting sunlight into electrical energy. Light-to-electrical energy conversion efficiencies achieved using these sensitizers are considerably greater than those obtained with analogous compounds previously reported by us. The overall conversion efficiency (η) is found to be dependent upon the nature of the heteroaromatic conjugated linkers and increases in the order η (ferrocenylfurfuryl) > η (ferrocenylpiperonyl) > η (ferrocenylpyridyl) all values being lower than that obtained in the reference Ru dye N719 under similar experimental conditions. The conversion efficiencies also vary with the metal being higher for Ni (4, 5 and 6) than for Cu complexes (1, 2 and 3). The X-ray structural analyses reveal the existence of rare M⋯H–C intermolecular anagostic interactions involving the metal atom in chain motifs in 1 and 4, which are retained in solution as evidenced by ¹H NMR spectroscopy.