2 H ‐Dinaphthopentacene: A Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Core for Metal‐Free Organic Sensitizers in Efficient Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Continuous studies on the use of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon as the central block of an organic photosensitizer have brought forth a new opportunity toward efficiency enhancement of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In this paper, a nonacyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 9,19‐dihydrodinaphtho[3,2,1‐ de :3′,2′,1′‐ op ]pentacene, tethered with four 4‐hexylphenyl solubilizing groups is reported. The novel chromophore 9,9‐19‐19‐tetrakis(4‐hexylphenyl)‐9,19‐dihydrodinaphtho[3,2,1‐ de :3′,2′,1′‐ op ]pentacene is further functionalized with diarylamines and 4‐(7‐ethynylbenzo[ c ][1,2,5]thiadiazol‐4‐yl)benzoic acid to produce two donor–acceptor (D–A) organic photosensitizers, achieving good power conversion efficiencies up to 10.2% in DSCs.