In the early 1800s, the industrial revolution was powered by fossil fuels as the primary energy resource. As environmental degradation started to be felt, countries began moving toward reduced emissions and carbon-neutral footprints. Subsequently, India also began to make enormous strides in nurturing the tremendous potential of renewable energy. As it has one of the most significant energy-harvesting potentials, solar energy has remained the widely accepted choice for researchers in India. In the last few years, India has witnessed tremendous research and development in solar energy, especially in the field of photovoltaics. Significant research effort has been invested in exploring the new generation of photovoltaic devices as alternatives to traditional silicon (Si)-based solar cells. Among the various new-generation photovoltaic devices, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) remain very attractive to researchers due to their easy preparation methodology, low toxicity, and ease of production. A typical DSSC is composed of a photoanode, a sensitizer, an electrolyte, and a cathode. Various research groups in India have studied the role of each individual component within DSSCs and performed research and development activities to improve their photovoltaic efficiency. The most important part of a DSSC is the dye, which is actually the source of photoexcited electrons. This topical review will provide an overview of the research efforts undertaken in India to support the optimisation of different components of DSSCs. However, emphasis has been placed on the research activities that support the exploration of different photoactive dyes as alternatives to the N3- and N719-based organometallic dyes.

在 1800 年代初期，工业革命以化石燃料为主要能源。随着开始感受到环境退化，各国开始朝着减少排放和碳中和足迹的方向迈进。随后，印度在培育可再生能源的巨大潜力方面也开始大踏步前进。由于它具有最重要的能量收集潜力之一，太阳能仍然是印度研究人员广泛接受的选择。在过去的几年中，印度在太阳能方面取得了巨大的研究和发展，特别是在光伏领域。已投入大量研究工作探索新一代光伏器件作为传统硅 (Si) 基太阳能电池的替代品。在各种新一代光伏器件中，染料敏化太阳能电池 (DSSC) 由于其制备方法简单、毒性低且易于生产，因此对研究人员仍然非常有吸引力。典型的 DSSC 由光阳极、敏化剂、电解质和阴极组成。印度的多个研究小组研究了 DSSC 中每个组件的作用，并开展了研发活动以提高其光伏效率。DSSC 最重要的部分是染料，它实际上是光激发电子的来源。本专题综述将概述在印度开展的研究工作，以支持优化 DSSC 的不同组成部分。然而，