Abstract
We report a blue dye, coded as R6, which features a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, 9,19-dihydro-benzo[1',10']phenanthro[3',4':4,5]thieno[3,2-b]benzo-[1,10]phenanthro[3,4-d]thiophene, coupled with a diarylamine electron donor and 4-(7-ethynylbenzo[c][1,2,5]-thiadiazol-4-yl)benzoic acid acceptor. Dye R6 displays a brilliant sapphire color in a sensitized TiO2 mesoporous film with a Co(II/III) tris(bipyridyl)-based redox electrolyte. The R6 based dye-sensitized solar cell achieves an impressive power conversion efficiency of 12.6% under standard air mass 1.5 global, 100 mW cm(-2), and shows a remarkable photostability.