Evolution of Molecular Design of Porphyrin Chromophores for Photovoltaic Materials of Superior Light‐to‐Electricity Conversion Efficiency

Zinc porphyrins (ZnPs) attract high interest as efficient chromophores for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Progress in the molecular design and solar cell materials led to a record of 13% power conversion efficiency of porphyrin‐sensitized solar cells. Until recently, ZnPs were limitedly used in bulk‐heterojunction solar cells (BHJ SC). However, application of porphyrin chromophores designed for DSSCs to BHJ SCs has rapidly increased the efficiency of the latter with both small‐molecule and polymer ZnP donors. Herein, we briefly review the developmental history of molecular design of ZnPs for DSSCs, and illustrate the influence of this development on the design of small‐molecule and polymer ZnP donors for BHJ SCs.