Extraction of natural dyes for economical and efficient fabrication of dye sensitized solar cells

Abstract

The third generation of solar cells are dye-sensitized solar cells, or DSSCs. It falls under the broader category of thin-film solar cells. With the help of electrolytes or solid charge-transporting materials, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) transform sunlight into energy by utilising photosensitizers that are adsorbed onto the surface of nanocrystalline mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) films. They have received a lot of research attention for over two decades because of their affordable price, simple manufacturing, low toxicity, and scalability. If efficient forms of energy can be produced for usage in prevailing inside circumstances, photovoltaic (PV) technologies have the potential to turn our buildings "independent" plus our movable gadgets "smart." In this study, TiO2 nanorods (TNRs) are synthesised, and their structural, morphological, optical, and photo-electrochemical characteristics are examined, along with their potential applicability in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Several studies were focused on reducing the cost of present DSSCs and enhancing their flexibility by using adaptable materials that could cut the cost of this energy conversion technique and expand their uses. In this study, Spinacia Oleracea Leaves (SOL), and Ixora Coccinea Flower (ICF) extracts were utilised as sensitizers for DSSCs application. From the extracted dyes, it was observed that SOL has significant amount of Chlorophyll pigments while IOF was dominated by Anthocyanin pigments. The produced TNRs and natural dyes were subjected to various physicochemical characterizations using FESEM, XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, etc.