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Ruthenium bipyridyl complexes have been used as efficient sensitizers for photoelectrochemical cells based on nano-porous films of . It is found that cis-dithiocyanate-bis(2,2-bipyridyl-4,4-dicarboxylate) ruthenium (II) can be used as the sensitizer in a solid-state photovoltaic cell in which a monolayer of the sensitizer is sandwiched between nano-porous n- and p-CuI. The data on performance of the cell and the problems encountered in construction of dye-sensitized solid-state photovoltaic cells are described.

A dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cell consisting of a film of SnO2 crystallites coated with ultrafine particles of Al2O3 generates an exceptionally high open-circuit voltage as compared to a cell made only from SnO2. Al2O3 coating on SnO2 improves the efficiency and the fill factor while delivering reasonably high photocurrents. Photoexcited dye molecules on Al2O3 injects electrons into the conduction band of SnO2 via tunnelling through the Al2O3 barrier. Suppression of recombinations of electrons with the dye cations and the acceptors at the electrolytic interface build up the quasi-Fermi level in SnO2 with an impressive increase of the open-circuit voltage.

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On illumination, selenium deposited on nanoporous n- transfers photogenerated electrons into . When p-CuCNS is coated on top of the selenium deposited on nanoporous n-, holes are directed into the p-CuCNS. A photovoltaic cell of nanoporous n-/selenium/p-CuCNS based on the above charge transfer process generates a photocurrent of and a photovoltage of mV at simulated sunlight. The efficiency of the cell seems to be limited by surface recombination and the presence of voids in the film. Photoelectrochemical experiments also indicate that when selenium is deposited on nanoporous n- photogenerated electrons in selenium are efficiently transferred to .