Ruthenium complex useful as sensitizer, dye-sensitized oxide semiconductor electrode and solar cell using same

Abstract

A ruthenium complex represented by the following formula: RuL1L2X wherein L1 represents a 2,2′;6′,2″-terpyridine compound having at least one group selected from a carboxyl group, a salt of a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, a salt of a sulfonic acid group, a phosphoric acid group and a salt of a phosphoric acid group, L2 represents a diketonate ligand represented by the following formula: wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected from alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, aminoalkyl, perfluoroalkyl and aryl, R3 represents a hydrogen atom, alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, aminoalkyl, perfluoroalkyl and aryl and X represents a monodentate ligand selected from a halide, a cyano group, a thiocyano group and a thiolate. A dye-sensitized oxide semiconductor electrode includes an electrically conductive body, an oxide semiconductor film provided on a surface of the electrically conductive body, and the above metal complex. A solar cell may be constructed from the above dye-sensitized oxide semiconductor electrode, a counter electrode, and a redox electrolyte contacting with both electrodes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.