Natural Dye-sensitized Solar Cell Based on Nanocrystalline TiO2

Int. J. Adv. Sci. Eng., 2014

Pure and Al-doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles are prepared by an acid tailored sol-gel method and successfully used as a photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The samples were characterized by using powder XRD, FE-SEM with EDX, UV-DRS, and Current-Voltage curve. After Al doping, the conductivity of the TiO2 increases and it has a positive shift. The energy-conversion efficiency of a cell based on 0.05 mol% Al-doped TiO2 is significantly better, by about 4.6%, compared to that of a cell based on undoped TiO2. The synthesized Al-doped TiO2 material is proven in detail to be a better photoanode material than pure TiO2 nanoparticles with a simple and versatile way to prepare excellent photoanode materials. INTRODUCTION Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted much attention because of their low cost, possible fabrications of flexible devices, and relatively efficient devices for the photovoltaic conversion of solar energy [1]. DSSCs containing titanium oxide (TiO2) thin film electrode often use ruthenium dyes, such as N719 dye [cis-bis (isothiocyanato) bis(2,2′-bipyridyl-4,4′-dicarboxylato)-ruthenium (II) bis-tetrabutylammonium], as photo-sensitizer. Such N719 based DSSCs exhibit relatively high photovoltaic performance and good stability [2]. In order to develop DSSCs with excellent photovoltaic properties, researchers have tried to control the nanostructure and morphology of TiO2 photo-electrodes [3-6]. Moreover, enhanced dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency would provide enormous economic advantages [7-11]. Recently, nano-sized TiO2 powders have been used as a working electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) due to higher efficiency than any other metal oxide semiconductor [12]. Kyung Hyun Ko et al. [13] reported Al and Al-W doped TiO2 nanoparticles for the fabrication of DSSC. Jin Young Kim

The Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) plays an important role because of low material cost, ease of production and high conversion efficiency as compared to other thin-film solar cell technologies. The main objective is to create and find the best configuration of the solar cell based on materials that are inexpensive and highly efficient in solar energy conversion and subsequently test the efficiency of dye sensitized titanium dioxide solar cell. We begin the process with two glass plates coated with Fluorine tin oxide (FTO). Titanium dioxide is applied to the conductive side of one plate and the other plate is coated with graphite. A dye is adsorbed on to the TiO2 layer and then the plates are sandwiched together. A drop of iodide electrolyte is then added between the plates. The tests carried out indoors under a lamp emitting all wavelengths in the visible spectrum were not found to provide consistent data due to substantial heating of the cell. The outdoor tests carried out in natural sunlight exhibited steady voltage at much higher level. Future research will involve the incorporation of quantum dots instead of the organic dye as a sensitizer. Quantum dots have the advantages of providing tunable band gaps and the ability to absorb specific wavelength.

Journal of Nanostructures, 2020

The present work displays the use of natural dyes extracted from native plants as sensitizer for fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The native plants named as comellia sinensis, punica granatum L. var sativa k.maly, morus nigra, rubia tinctorum and brassica oleracea were collected from Kashan area, Iran. The extracted dyes were characterized with the aid of UV–Vis and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies. The FT-IR results revealed the presence of hydroxyl groups in the chemical structures of the natural dyes, improving the interaction of between photosensitizer and TiO2 surface in solar cell devices. In addition, photoelectrochemical performance of the DSSCs based on the natural dyes illustrated short-circuit photocurrent (Jsc) and open-circuit voltages (Voc) ranging from 0.5 to 2.36 mA/cm2 and 0.38 to 0.62 V, respectively. Since cyanidin- glucoside compounds were the main pigment of brassica oleracea, interaction between plenty of hydroxyl groups of th...

2016

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanopowders were synthesized by sol-gel and refluxing methods, and compared with commercial titanium dioxide (P25). The as-synthesized TiO2 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and UV-vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. In this research, the as-synthesized samples were used to fabricate dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and found that TiO2 synthesized by sol-gel method has the highest efficiency of VOC = 0.465 V, JSC = 1.361 mA/cm 2 and FF = 0.647.

Science, Technology and Development, 2015

In this study, dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated using TiO 2 as a semiconducting layer dyed with natural extracts. Thin layers of nanocrystalline TiO 2 were deposited on transparent Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive glass using doctor blade method. Fifteen natural dyes were examined as photosensitizers of the TiO 2 layer. The absorption spectra of the natural extracts were performed. The J-V characteristic curves of all fabricated cells were measured and analyzed. The parameters related to the cell performance were presented. Moreover, the impedance spectroscopy of two cells was investigated.

We report the fabrication of solar cells based on nanocrystalline TiO 2 sensitized with anthocyanins extracted from various plants, such as red cabbage and red onion, in an attempt to recycle residues from the food industry. We vary the solvent and the conditions in which the dye is extracted and analyze their effect on the solar cell performance. We find that all the extracts present light harvesting properties and perform charge transfer sensitization of the TiO 2 semiconducting layer. The current-voltage curves have the expected shape for a photovoltaic device and the values of the fill-factors are relatively good, some in excess of 0.57. The efficiency, measured under standard AM 1.5 conditions, is 0.17 or lower, which is typical for most natural extracts tested so far.

MAKARA of Technology Series, 2011

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is one of the very promising alternative renewable energy sources to anticipate the declination in the fossil fuel reserves in the next few decades and to make use of the abundance of intensive sunlight energy in tropical countries like Indonesia. In the present study, TiO 2 nanoparticles of different nanocrystallinity was synthesized via sol−gel process with various water to inorganic precursor ratio (R w) of 0.85, 2.00 and 3.50 upon sol preparation, followed with subsequent drying, conventional annealing and post-hydrothermal treatments. The resulting nanoparticles were integrated into the DSSC prototype and sensitized with an organic dye made of the extract of red onion. The basic performance of the fabricated DSSC has been examined and correlated to the crystallite size and band gap energy of TiO 2 nanoparticles. It was found that post-hydrothermally treated TiO 2 nanoparticles derived from sol of 2.00 R w , with the most enhanced nanocrystalline size of 12.46 nm and the lowest band gap energy of 3.48 eV, showed the highest open circuit voltage (V oc) of 69.33 mV.

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), 2012

The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have been regarded as one of the most promising new generation solar cells. Tremendous research efforts have been invested to improve the efficiency of solar energy conversion which is generally determined by the light harvesting efficiency, electron injection efficiency and undesirable electron lifetime. In this review, various characteristics of dyesensitized nanostructured TiO 2 solar cells, such as working principle, electron transport and electron lifetime, were studied. The review avoids detailed mathematical and spectroscopic discussion, but rather tries to summarize the key conclusions relevant to materials design.

Solar Energy Materials and Solar …, 2008

Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells with enhanced performance were made by using nanocrystalline TiO 2 films without any template deposited on plastic or glass substrates at low temperature. A simple and benign procedure was developed to synthesize the low-temperature TiO 2 nanostructured films. According to this method, a small quantity of titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) was added in an ethanolic dispersion of TiO 2 powder consisting of nanoparticles at room temperature, which after alkoxide's hydrolysis helps to the connection between TiO 2 particles and to the formation of mechanically stable thick films on plastic or glass substrates. Pure TiO 2 films without any organic residuals consisting of nanoparticles were formed with surface area of 56 m 2 /g and pore volume of 0.383 cm 3 /g similar to that obtained for Degussa-P25 powder. The structural properties of the films were characterized by microscopy techniques, X-ray diffractometry, and porosimetry. Overall solar to electric energy conversion efficiencies of 5.3% and 3.2% (under 1sun) were achieved for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells employing such TiO 2 films on F:SnO 2 glass and ITO plastic substrates, respectively. Thus, the quasi-solid-state device based on low-temperature TiO 2 attains a conversion efficiency which is very close to that obtained for cells consisting of TiO 2 nanoparticles sintered at high temperature.