Facile Generation of Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence and Fabrication of Highly Efficient Non-Doped OLEDs Based on Triazine Derivatives

A series of donor–acceptor–donor triazine-based molecules with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) properties were synthesized to obtain highly efficient blue-emitting OLEDs with non-doped emitting layers (EMLs). The targeted molecules use a triazine core as the electron acceptor, and a benzene ring as the conjugated linker with different electron donors to alternate the energy level of the HOMO to further tune the emission color. The introduction of long alkyl chains on the triazine core inhibits the unwanted intermolecular D –D/A–A-type π–π interactions, resulting in the intermolecular D–A charge transfer. The weak aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect caused by the suppressed intermolecular D –D/A–A-type π–π interaction further enhances the emission. The crowded molecular structure allows the electron donor and acceptor to be nearly orthogonal, thereby reducing the energy gap between triplet and singlet excited states (ΔE_ST). As a result, blue-emitting devices with TH-2DMAC and TH-2DPAC non-doped EMLs showed satisfactory efficiencies of 12.8 % and 15.8 %, respectively, which is one of the highest external quantum efficiency (EQEs) reported for blue TADF emitters (λ_peak<475 nm), demonstrating that our tailored molecular designs are promising strategies to endow OLEDs with excellent electroluminescent performances.     

Mechanistic Investigation of Catalyst‐Transfer Suzuki–Miyaura Condensation Polymerization of Thiophene–Pyridine Biaryl Monomers with the Aid of Model Reactions

We have investigated the requirements for efficient Pd‐catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura catalyst‐transfer condensation polymerization (Pd‐CTCP) reactions of 2‐alkoxypropyl‐6‐(5‐bromothiophen‐2‐yl)‐3‐(4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolan‐2‐yl)pyridine ( 12 ) as a donor–acceptor (D –A) biaryl monomer. As model reactions, we first carried out the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction of X–Py–Th–X′ (Th=thiophene, Py=pyridine, X, X′=Br or I) 1 with phenylboronic acid ester 2 by using tBu₃PPd⁰ as the catalyst. Monosubstitution with a phenyl group at Th‐I mainly took place in the reaction of Br–Py–Th–I ( 1 b ) with 2 , whereas disubstitution selectively occurred in the reaction of I–Py–Th–Br ( 1 c ) with 2 , indicating that the Pd catalyst is intramolecularly transferred from acceptor Py to donor Th. Therefore, we synthesized monomer 12 by introduction of a boronate moiety and bromine into Py and Th, respectively. However, examination of the relationship between monomer conversion and the M_n of the obtained polymer, as well as the matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectra, indicated that Suzuki–Miyaura coupling polymerization of 12 with (o‐tolyl)tBu₃PPdBr initiator 13 proceeded in a step‐growth polymerization manner through intermolecular transfer of the Pd catalyst. To understand the discrepancy between the model reactions and polymerization reaction, Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions of 1 c with thiopheneboronic acid ester instead of 2 were carried out. This resulted in a decrease of the disubstitution product. Therefore, step‐growth polymerization appears to be due to intermolecular transfer of the Pd catalyst from Th after reductive elimination of the Th‐Pd‐Py complex formed by transmetalation of polymer Th–Br with (Pin)B–Py–Th–Br monomer 12 (Pin=pinacol). Catalysts with similar stabilization energies of metal–arene η²‐coordination for D and A monomers may be needed for CTCP reactions of biaryl D–A monomers.     

Engineering the Interconnecting Position of Star‐Shaped Donor–π–Acceptor Molecules Based on Triazine,Spirofluorene, and Triphenylamine Moieties for Color Tuning from Deep Blue to Green

Pi‐conjugated organic molecules featuring the donor–bridge–acceptor (D–π–A) structure have been widely used in semiconducting materials owing to their rigid structure, good thermal stability, excellent charge transfer, and high emission efficiency. To investigate the effect of the D–π–A molecular structure on the photophysical properties, in this contribution, three star‐shaped D–π–A isomers based on the 2,4,6‐triphenyl‐1,3,5‐triazine, spirofluorene, and triphenylamine moieties, that is, p‐TFTPA, mp‐TFTPA, and m‐TFTPA, were synthesized by elaborately engineering the interconnecting position in the building‐block units. The optophysical properties of these compounds were systematically explored by experiments and theory calculations. Definitively, changing the interconnecting position in these molecules played a significant role in the degree of π conjugation, which resulted in tunable emission colors from deep blue to green. Moreover, these isomers were employed as emissive dopants in organic light‐emitting diodes. The highest external quantum efficiency of 2.3 % and current efficiency of 6.2 cd A^?1 were achieved by using the p‐TFTPA based device. This research demonstrates a feasible way to realize blue emitters by engineering D–π–A conjugation.     

Broad Bandgap D–A Copolymer Based on Bithiazole Acceptor Unit for Application in High‐Performance Polymer Solar Cells with Lower Fullerene Content

A new broad bandgap and 2D‐conjugated D‐A copolymer, PBDTBTz‐T , based on bithienyl‐benzodithiophene donor unit and bithiazole (BTz) acceptor unit, is designed and synthesized for the application as donor material in polymer solar cells (PSCs). The polymer possesses highly coplanar and crystalline structure with a higher hole mobility and lower HOMO energy level which is beneficial to achieve higher open circuit voltage (V_oc) of the PSCs with the polymer as donor. The PSCs based on PBDTBTz‐T :PC₇₁BM blend film with a lower PC₇₁BM content of 40% demonstrate a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.09% with a relatively higher V_oc of 0.92 V. These results indicate that the lower HOMO energy level of the BTz‐based D–A copolymer is beneficial to a high V_oc of the PSCs. The polymer, with highly coplanar and crystalline structure, can effectively reduce the content of fullerene acceptor in the active layer and can enhance the absorption and PCE of the PSCs.

     

Impact of A–D–A-Structured Dithienosilole- and Phenoxazine-Based Small Molecular Material for Bulk Heterojunction and Dopant-Free Perovskite Solar Cells

Herein, the synthesis of the novel acceptor–donor–acceptor (A–D–A)-structured small molecule Si-PO-2CN based on dithienosilole (DTS) as building block flanked by electron-rich phenoxazine (POZ) units, which are terminated with dicyanovinylene, is presented. Si-PO-2CN showed unique electrochemical and photophysical properties and has been successfully employed in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) as well as in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs). The PSCs fabricated with dopant-free Si-PO-2CN as hole-transport material (HTM) exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.1 % (active area=1.02 cm²). Additionally, a PCE of 5.6 % has been achieved for OSCs, which employed Si-PO-2CN as p-type donor material when blended with a [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) acceptor. The versatile application of Si-PO-2CN provides a pathway for further implementation of DTS-based building blocks in solar cells for designing new molecules.     

High‐Performance Blue OLEDs Based on Phenanthroimidazole Emitters via Substitutions at the C6‐ and C9‐Positions for Improving Exciton Utilization

Donor–acceptor (D–A) molecular architecture has been shown to be an effective strategy for obtaining high‐performance electroluminescent materials. In this work, two D–A molecules, Ph‐BPA‐BPI and Py‐BPA‐BPI, have been synthesized by attaching highly fluorescent phenanthrene or pyrene groups to the C6‐ and C9‐positions of a locally excited‐state emitting phenylamine–phenanthroimidazole moiety. Equipped with good physical and hybridized local and charge‐transfer properties, both molecules show high performances as blue emitters in nondoped organic light‐emitting devices (OLEDs). An OLED using Ph‐BPA‐BPI as the emitting layer exhibits deep‐blue emission with CIE coordinates of (0.15, 0.08), and a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE), current efficiency (CE), and power efficiency (PE) of 4.56 %, 3.60 cd A^?1, and 3.66 lm W^?1, respectively. On the other hand, a Py‐BPA‐BPI‐based, sky‐blue OLED delivers the best results among nondoped OLEDs with CIE_y values of < 0.3 reported so far, for which a very low turn‐on voltage of 2.15 V, CIE coordinates of (0.17, 0.29), and maximum CE, PE, and EQE values of 10.9 cd A^?1, 10.5 lm W^?1, and 5.64 %, were achieved, respectively. More importantly, both devices show little or even no efficiency roll‐off and high singlet exciton‐utilizing efficiencies of 36.2 % for Ph‐BPA‐BPI and 39.2 % for Py‐BPA‐BPI.     

Extended Alkenyl and Alkynyl Benzotriazoles with Enhanced Two-Photon Absorption Properties as a Promising Alternative to Benzothiadiazoles

A series of donor–π–acceptor–π–donor (D -π-A-π-D) benzoazole dyes with 2H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole or BTD cores have been prepared and their photophysical properties characterized. The properties of these compounds display remarkable differences, mainly as a result of the electron-donor substituent. Dyes with the best properties have visible-light absorption over λ=400 nm, large Stokes shifts in the range of about 3500–6400 cm⁻¹, and good fluorescence emission with quantum yields of up to 0.78. The two-photon absorption properties were also studied to establish the relationship between structure and properties in the different compounds synthesized. These results provided cross sections of up to 1500 GM, with a predominance of S₂←S₀ transitions and a high charge-transfer character. Time-dependent DFT calculations supported the experimental results.     

Modulating the Electron-Donating Ability of Acridine Donor Units for Orange–Red Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters

The development of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters with orange–red emission still lags behind that of their blue, green, and yellow counterparts. Recent research to address this problem mainly focused on developing new acceptor units. There were few donor units designed especially for orange–red emitters. Herein, with benzothiophene fused to a diphenylacridine donor unit, a new donor moiety, namely, 5,5-diphenyl-5,13-dihydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-c]acridine (BTDPAc), was designed and synthesized. Benefiting from the strong electron-donating ability of the new donor moiety, a new TADF emitter, 2-[4′-(tert-butyl)(1,1′-biphenyl)-4-yl]-6-[5,5-diphenylbenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-c]acridin-13(5H)-yl]-1H-benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione (BTDPAc-PhNAI), shows an orange–red emission with a maximum at 610 nm in dilute toluene solution. Also, with the help of the diphenyl rings of the donor unit, high photoluminescence quantum yields were achieved for BTDPAc-PhNAI over a wide concentration range. Consequently, an orange–red organic light-emitting diode based on BTDPAc-PhNAI achieved a high external quantum efficiency of nearly 20 %, which was comparable to state-of-the-art device performances with similar emission spectra.     

Fluorobenzotriazole-Based Medium-Bandgap Conjugated D–A Copolymers for Applications to Fullerene-Based and Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells

Two new medium-bandgap (MBG) donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers (PSTF and PDTS) with fluorobenzotriazole as an A unit and spiro[cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b′]dithiophene-4,9′-fluorene] (STF) or dithienosilole (DTS) as the D unit are designed and synthesized as donor materials for polymer solar cell (PSC) applications. PSTF shows a broader absorption spectrum relative to PDTS reflecting an additional high-energy absorption band due to the conjugated thiophene side chains on STF moiety. Compared with PDTS, PSTF exhibits weaker π–π aggregation and lower lying HOMO level. Photovoltaic properties of the PSCs reveal that either PSTF or PDTS using PC₆₁BM as acceptor exhibits better performances than that of ITIC as acceptor, which results from the simultaneously increased V_oc, J_sc, and FF of PC₆₁BM-based PSCs. Moreover, when combined with PC₆₁BM and ITIC, the PSTF-based PSCs exhibit an efficiency of 3.66% and 2.42%, respectively, which is 45% and almost 1.5 times higher than that of the PDTS-based PSCs, respectively. This can be ascribed to the obviously improved V_oc and FF of PSTF-based PSCs benefitted from the deeper HOMO level and better active layer morphology. Our work demonstrates that using spiro-annulated building block as donor unit to construct MBG D-A copolymers is an alternative and effective approach for achieving efficient donor materials in PSCs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 2330–2343     

Highly Segregated Lamello‐Columnar Mesophase Organizations and Fast Charge Carrier Mobility in New Discotic Donor–Acceptor Triads

Four new donor–acceptor triads (D–A–D) based on discotic and arylene mesogens have been synthesized by using Sonogashira coupling and cyclization reactions. This family of triads consists of two side‐on pending triphenylene mesogens, acting as the electron‐donating groups (D), laterally connected through short lipophilic spacers to a central perylenediimide (PI), benzo[ghi]perylenediimide (BI), or coronenediimide (CI) molecular unit, respectively, playing the role of the electron acceptor (A). All D–A–D triads self‐organize to form a lamello‐columnar oblique mesophase, with a highly segregated donor–acceptor (D–A) heterojunction organization, consequent to efficient molecular self‐sorting. The structure consists in the regular alternation of two disrupted rows of triphenylene columns and a continuous row of diimine species. High‐resolution STM images demonstrate that PI‐TP2 forms stable 2D self‐assembly nanostructures with some various degrees of regularity, whereas the other triads do not self‐organize into ordered architectures. The electron‐transport mobility of CI‐TP2, measured by time‐of‐flight at 200 °C in the mesophase, is one order of magnitude higher than the hole mobility. By means of this specific molecular designing idea, we realized and demonstrated for the first time the so‐called p–n heterojunction at the molecular level in which the electron‐rich triphenylene columns act as the hole transient pathways, and the coronenediimide stacks form the electron‐transport channels.     

A Solution‐Processable Molecule using Thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene as Building Block for Efficient Organic Solar Cells

A solution‐processed acceptor‐π‐donor‐π‐acceptor (A‐π‐D‐π‐A) type small molecule, namely DCATT, has been designed and synthesized for the application as donor material in organic solar cells. The fused aromatic unit thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (TT) flanked with thiophene is applied as π bridge, while 4,8‐bisthienyl substituted benzodithiophene (BDT) and 2‐ethylhexyl cyanoacetate are chosen as the central building block and end group, respectively. Introduction of fused ring to the small molecule enhances the conjugation length of the main chain, and gives a strong tendency to form π–π stacking with a large overlapping area which favors to high charge carrier transport. Small‐molecule organic solar cells based on blends of DCATT and fullerene acceptor exhibit power conversion efficiencies as high as 5.20 % under the illumination of AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm^?2.     

Benzimidazole‐indole‐chalcone connected methacrylate‐based side chain D‐π‐A polymer and its application in organic photovoltaics

Herein, we report four metal‐free organic polymethacrylates (In‐In‐BzI)PMA , (Ac‐In‐BzI)PMA , (TPA‐In‐BzI)PMA , and (Py‐In‐BzI)PMA with pendant chromophores donor‐π‐conjugated‐acceptor (D‐π‐A) molecular framework as photosensitizers for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In which the donor‐acceptor units are attached by an indole‐chalcone extending side chain to inhibit back electron transfer and charge recombination; the π‐linker component contains varied chalcone‐based substituents to enhance the sunlight‐harvesting ability of the solar device. Photon‐current cells based on the DSSC format were fabricated using the polymers as sensitizers. The DSSC device assembled using (TPA‐In‐BzI)PMA exhibits a considerably better IPCE peak and J–V response, with an overall power conversion efficiency of 3.70% under the illumination of AM 1.5G (100 mW cm^–2). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 997–1007     

Rational Molecular Design Overcoming the Long Delayed Fluorescence Lifetime and Serious Efficiency Roll-Off in Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Devices

Blue thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) devices with short excited-state lifetime, high reverse intersystem crossing rate, and low-efficiency roll-off were developed by managing the molecular structure of donor–acceptor-type blue emitters. Three isomers of blue TADF emitters with a diphenyltriazine acceptor and three carbazole donors were synthesized. The position of the donor moieties in the phenyl linker connecting the donor and acceptor moieties was controlled to devise compounds with a short delayed fluorescence lifetime. A blue TADF emitter with three carbazole donors at 2-, 3-, and 4- positions of a phenyl linker shortened the excited state lifetime to 4.1 μs, showed a high external quantum efficiency of 20.4 %, and low efficiency roll-off of less than 10 % at 1000 cd m⁻². Therefore, a molecular design distorting the donors by aligning them in a consecutive way is useful to resolve the issues of long delayed fluorescence lifetime and efficiency roll-off of blue TADF devices.     

Preparation and Characterization of a π-Conjugated Donor–Acceptor System Containing the Strongly Electron-Accepting Tetraphenylborolyl Unit

A novel thiophene-bridged donor–acceptor system was synthesized with a carbazole as donor and a borole as acceptor unit. The borole group was successfully installed via the tin–boron exchange reaction of 1,1-dimethyl-2,3,4,5-tetraphenylstannole with 9-(5-(dibromoboryl)thiophen-2-yl)carbazole. The effect of the borole on the optoelectronic properties of the donor–acceptor system was explored by spectroscopic (UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy), electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry) and theoretical (TD-DFT) methods as well as by modifying its structure. The corresponding donor–acceptor compound bearing the widely employed dimesitylboryl acceptor group was also synthesized for comparison.     

Improved photovoltaic performance of 2,7-pyrene based small molecules via the use of 3-carbazole as terminal unit

Small molecule of Py-2DTBTCz with an Ar(A–D)₂ framework was designed and synthesized as photovoltaic donor materials, in which 2,7-pyrene (Py) and benzothiadiazole (BT) were respectively used as central aryl (Ar) and arm acceptor (A), while 3-carbazole (Cz) as terminal donor (D). For comparison, an A–Ar–A type SM of Py-2DTBT without Cz terminal unit was also prepared. The effects of Cz on optical, electrochemical, hole mobility and photovoltaic properties were investigated. In solution-processed solar cells, it was observed that the Py-2DTBTCz based devices show significant improvement in photovoltaic performance compared to those of Py-2DTBT. Power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Py-2DTBTCz could be as high as 2.89% with a short-circuit current density (J_sc) of 7.68?mAcm^?2. The results indicate that appending an enlarged Cz π-system to the terminal of A–Ar–A-type small molecules for the construction of an Ar(A–D)₂ framework can significantly improve the photovoltaic performance of SMs.     

Diversified Excited-State Relaxation Pathways of Donor–Linker–Acceptor Dyads Controlled by a Bent-to-Planar Motion of the Donor

Herein, we introduce the cyclic 8π-electron (C8π) molecule N,N′-diaryl-dihydrodibenzo[a,c]phenazine ( DPAC ) as a dual-functional donor to establish a series of new donor–linker–acceptor (D–L–A) dyads DLA1 – DLA5 . The excited-state bent-to-planar dynamics of DPAC regulate the energy gap of the donor, while the acceptors A1 – A5 are endowed with different energy gaps and HOMO/LUMO levels. As a result, the rate and efficiency of the excited-state electron transfer vs. energy transfer can be finely harnessed, which is verified via steady-state spectroscopy and time-resolved emission measurements. This comprehensive approach demonstrates, for the first time, the manifold of excited-state properties governed by bifunctional donor-based D–L–A dyads, including bent-to-planar, photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from excited donor to acceptor (oxidative-PET), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), bent-to-planar followed by electron transfer (PFET), and PET from donor to excited acceptor (reductive-PET).     

Regioisomeric Effects on the Electronic Features of Indenothiophene‐Bridged D–π‐A′–A DSSC Sensitizers

Two D–π‐A′–A regioisomers (A‐IDT‐D and D‐IDT‐A) featuring 4,4′‐di‐p‐tolyl‐4 H‐indeno[1,2‐b]‐thiophene as a π linker (π) between the diarylamino donor (D) and the pyrimidine–cyanoacrylic acid acceptor (A′–A) have been successfully synthesized and characterized as efficient sensitizers for the dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The different arrangements of the D and A′–A blocks on the unsymmetrical indenothiophene (IDT) core render the dipole of IDT being along (A‐IDT‐D) or opposite (D‐IDT‐A) to the direction of intramolecular (donor‐to‐acceptor) charge transfer, and thus induce variations in the physical properties. The experimental observations correlated well with the theoretical analyses, clearly revealing the trade‐off between the molar extinction coefficient (ε) and the S₀→S₁ transition energy. As a result, a superior ε value was observed for D‐IDT‐A, whereas a bathochromic shift in the absorption occurred in A‐IDT‐D. The larger ε value of D‐IDT‐A together with its more favorable energy level relative to TiO₂ led to a higher power conversion efficiency of 7.41 % for the D‐IDT‐A‐based DSSC, retaining approximately 95 % of the N719‐based DSSC efficiency. This work manifests the clear structure–property relationship for the case of donor and acceptor components being connected by an unsymmetrical π linker and provides insights for molecular engineering of organic sensitizers.     

Design Strategy of Decorating Phenylcarbazole with a Donor and Acceptor for Blue-Shifted Emission in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Emitters

A series of blue thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters of 1′′-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-9,9′′-diphenyl-9H,9′′H-3,3′:9′,4′′-tercarbazole (TrzCz1) and 3′,6′-di-tert-butyl-1-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-9-phenyl-9H-4,9′-bicarbazole (TrzCz2) were synthesized through a molecular design approach to decorate phenylcarbazole with a donor and an acceptor. The 1- and 4-positions of the phenylcarbazole core were modified with a diphenyltriazine acceptor and a bicarbazole or tert-butylcarbazole donor, respectively, through a synthetic strategy to introduce Br at the 1-position and F at the 4-position. The TrzCz1 and TrzCz2 emitters showed maximum photoluminescence emission bands at λ=443 and 433 nm, which were blueshifted relative to those of the corresponding TADF emitters with the same donor and acceptor, respectively. In the device application, the TrzCz1 emitter showed a maximum external quantum efficiency of 22.4 %, with a color coordinate of (0.16, 0.21), and the TrzCz2 emitter showed a maximum external quantum efficiency of 9.9 %, with a color coordinate of (0.14, 0.09). This work proved that the design strategy of decorating phenylcarbazole with a donor and an acceptor is effective at blueshifting the emission of TADF emitters.     

Improved Transistor Performance by Modulating Molecular Packing with Donor and Acceptor Moieties

The joint of the donor and acceptor moieties allows a facile and effective strategy to develop novel organic conjugated materials. However, few pieces of work report the understanding of the donor–acceptor interactions at the molecular level. Herein, we developed three small molecules containing one acceptor motif with different amounts of the donor unit. By combining theoretical calculations and energy level characterization, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels of the three molecules were proven to be almost identical. The molecular packing modes were evaluated from crystal structure prediction. Owing to the donor–acceptor interactions, the packing mode can be tuned from a 1D slipped stacking to a 2D brick layer. The 2D molecular packing and charge transport channel endowed the materials a higher electron mobility of 3.29 cm² V^?1 s^?1 in the single‐crystal field‐effect transistors after such modulation.     

Novel Metal Complexes Unit of Phenanthroline Derivative for Being Used as Auxiliary Electron Acceptor in Dye Sensitizer Molecules

Donor-acceptor-π bridge-acceptor (D−A−π−A) motif dyes are promising dye sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, to strengthen with-drawing electron force of the auxiliary electron acceptors(A) in D−A−π−A motif dye sensitizers, the metal complexes unit is be used as auxiliary electron acceptor(A) instead of organic electron-withdrawing monomer. The four polymeric metal complexes were designed, synthesized, and characterized, which used metal complexes of phenanthroline derivatives as auxiliary acceptors (A), benzodithiophene-dithiophene derivatives (BDTT) as donors (D), and 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives as π-bridges and acceptors of the dye sensitizers, and have been used for dye sensitizers. Under AM 1.5 G (100 mW cm⁻²), the photovoltaic test results indicated that the short-circuit photocurrent density (J_sc) of the DSSCs based four polymeric metal complexes are 11.26, 13.68, 14.42 and 15.57 mA cm⁻² and power conversion efficiency (PCE) are 5.96 %, 7.83 %, 8.07 %, 9.28 % respectively. Both J_sc and PCE value of the four polymeric metal complexes increased in order. This may be due to the fact that larger radius of metal ion under the same change number can enhance the coordination bond and cause stronger electron-withdrawing ability of auxiliary acceptor and stronger charge-transfer ability between the donor and the acceptor, which results in higher J_sc and higher PCE of the polymeric complex dye sensitizer.