A benzothiadiazole-cyclopentadithiophene [corrected] bridged D-A-π-A sensitizer with enhanced light absorption for high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells.

We demonstrate an efficient D-A-π-A sensitizer with a benzothiadiazole-cyclopentadithiophene [corrected] moiety as the spacer in a triphenylamine organic dye for dye-sensitized solar cells. The dye has a broad visible light absorption range up to 800 nm. A power conversion efficiency >9% has been achieved using a [Co(bpy)3](2+/3+)-based electrolyte.