Photosensitizer, a key component of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), significantly affects the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the devices. In this study, three terpyridyl (tpy) ruthenium complex dyes incorporating hexyl-substituted pyrrole (CYC-36), 4-methylthiazole (CYC-39), and thieno­[3,2-b]­pyrrole (CYC-41) were designed and their photovoltaic performance was examined. To the best of our knowledge, this study introduced these heterocyclic conjugated rings to functionalize the tpy-coordinated ruthenium complexes and discovered that 4-methylthiazole in the anchoring ligand of CYC-39 simultaneously enhanced the lighting-harvesting capability of the dye molecule, increased dye-loading in TiO2 photoanode, and reduced the charge recombination in the cells. The multifunction of 4-methylthiazole moiety is ascribed to not only the aromaticity and electron-withdrawing nature but also the formation of a moderate dihedral angle between the thiazole ring and the tpy core. Consequently, the DSC device sensitized with CYC-39 yields not only a panchromatic response up to 900 nm but also a good PCE of 9.0%.

The semidiurnal (12.42 h) and semimonthly (14.76 days) lunar tides have been well-known by fishermen for several centuries. The gravitational force of the relative positions between the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth results in two symmetrical tidal bulges (double bulges) appearing at equatorial latitudes directly under and opposite the Moon. We utilize ionospheric GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) radio occultation soundings to show the global three-dimensional structures and dynamics of the double bulges of ionospheric lunar tides for the first time. The double-bulge amplitude of ionospheric F2-peak height hmF2, lagging the sublunar or antipodal point by about 2–3 h, is about 3–5 km at the equator and 1.5–2.0 km at ± 35° magnetic latitude. The electron density further depicts global three-dimensional plasma flows in the ionosphere.