Solid electrolyte bipyridine macroligands for ruthenium polypyridyl complexes : new materials for applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

The authors synthesized ruthenium (II) photosensitizing dyes with novel bipyridine ligands of different spacer lengths that can serve to be attached to low mol. wt. PEG chains (Mn=3000). The authors obtained a bpy-macroligand forming a ruthenium (II) bipyridal complex after grafting to a bis-phenanthroline-bis-chloro Ru(II) precursor complex. A Me ether- terminated PEG chain on a bipyridine ligand is added to the bis-phenanthroline ruthenium complex. UV and IR spectra of the final product and various intermediates are also presented