Syntheses and characterization of several nickel bis(dithiolene) complexes with strong and broad Near-IR absorption

► Nickel bis(dithiolene) NIR dyes were synthesized and systematically investigated. ► They were first applied to DSCs. ► Strong and broad absorptions in the NIR region with high ε were confirmed. ► The excellent reversibility was justified by CV/DPV. ► The application of NIR absorbing filter was also conducted.