Iron(II) photophysics is a field of research that has been, and continues to be, extensively studied by both calculation and experiment. The reactivity and photophysical properties of these complexes are very well understood, providing both a fundamental understanding of the science as well as a foundation for applying that understanding. This dissertation discusses the viability iron(II)-based complexes may have in one particular application: dye-sensitized solar cells. The recent and explosive interest in ruthenium(II) complexes for the application in solar cells begs the question of whether the isoelectronic and 100-fold more abundant substitution can be made. A concurrent decrease in price and increase in scalability would result from the successful replacement of ruthenium with iron. However, intrinsic differences in ligand field splitting between first and second row transition metals produce low-lying electronic states that short circuit the iron-based cells. Overcoming these deactivation pathways is the purpose of this research and will be the focus and end goal for the discussions herein.
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