Preparation and Photovoltaic Characterization of Free-Base and Metallo Carboxyphenylethynyl Porphyrins for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Free‐base, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc 5‐(4‐carboxy‐phenylethynyl)‐10,20‐biphenylporphines are synthesized to study the impact of central metal ions to the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells. Photovoltaic studies of the solar cells sensitized with free‐base, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper or zinc PE1 porphyrins show that ZnPE1 outperforms other sensitizers with an overall efficiency of 3.6%. (Special Issue for the 2009 International Symposium of Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells)