3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene and bis[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]thiophene bridged donor–acceptor molecules for dye-sensitized solar cells have been synthesized, one of which achieved a solar-to-energy conversion efficiency of 7.3%, compared to 7.7% optimized for N719 dye.

Via a systematic derivatization of the excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer system, 10-hydroxybenzo[h] quinoline, the proton-transfer emission can be extensively tuned from 550 nm (1) to 675 nm (6), in which amplified spontaneous emission was readily observed for 1–3, generating a new family of proton transfer laser dyes.