Ruthenium(II) complexes containing a 2-pyridinecarboxylate ligand (1 and 2) were synthesized as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The solar cells containing 2 exhibited efficient panchromatic sensitization over the entire visible wavelength range, extending into the near-IR region. An overall solar light-to-electrical conversion efficiency of 9.66% was achieved under standard air mass (AM) 1.5 irradiation (100 mW cm(-2)). This efficiency was superior to that of black dye (9.58%) under the same cell fabrication and measuring procedure.