0000000001053191
AUTHOR
Mariachiara Pastore
Computational modeling of single-versus double-anchoring modes in di-branched organic sensitizers on TiO2 surfaces: structural and electronic properties
We present a first-principles DFT investigation of the adsorption geometry on the anatase (101) surface of a prototypical di-branched organic dye based on the extended tetrathiafulvalene moiety, incorporating two anchoring cyanoacrylic acid units. Reduced model systems with one and two anchoring groups have been initially studied to investigate the vibrational frequencies related to TiO2 dye adsorption. Our calculations confirm that the reduced systems can be used as reliable models to study the anchoring modes and that the conclusions extracted from the reduced systems can be extrapolated to the entire molecule. A series of molecular structures have been investigated to simulate the anchor…
Iron’s Wake: The Performance of Quantum Mechanical-Derived Versus General-Purpose Force Fields Tested on a Luminescent Iron Complex
Recently synthetized iron complexes have achieved long-lived excited states and stabilities which are comparable, or even superior, to their ruthenium analogues, thus representing an eco-friendly and cheaper alternative to those materials based on rare metals. Most of computational tools which could help unravel the origin of this large efficiency rely on ab-initio methods which are not able, however, to capture the nanosecond time scale underlying these photophysical processes and the influence of their realistic environment. Therefore, it exists an urgent need of developing new low-cost, but still accurate enough, computational methodologies capable to deal with the steady-state and trans…
NHC-Based Iron Sensitizers for DSSCs
International audience; Nanostructured dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are promising photovoltaic devices because of their low cost and transparency. Ruthenium polypyridine complexes have long been considered as lead sensitizers for DSSCs, allowing them to reach up to 11% conversion efficiency. However, ruthenium suffers from serious drawbacks potentially limiting its widespread applicability, mainly related to its potential toxicity and scarcity. This has motivated continuous research efforts to develop valuable alternatives from cheap earth-abundant metals, and among them, iron is particularly attractive. Making iron complexes applicable in DSSCs is highly challenging due to an ultrafa…
Photophysical Investigation of Iron(II) Complexes Bearing Bidentate Annulated Isomeric Pyridine-NHC Ligands
The possibility of achieving luminescent and photophysically active metal-organic compounds relies on the stabilization of charge transfer states and kinetically and thermodynamically blocking non-...