A novel biomass coated Ag–TiO2 composite as a photoanode for enhanced photocurrent in dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

A novel biomass-coated Ag nanoparticle-modified TiO2 composite was prepared and used as a photoanode in a dye-sensitized solar cell with a high surface area, strong light scattering and efficient electron transport. It was found that syzygium extract has an appreciable effective function as a reducing and stabilizing agent simultaneously. The mean size of the synthesized silver nanoparticles is 4.0 ± 0.7 nm measured on the TEM images. Residual hydroxyl groups of the biomass on the photoanode improve dye absorption and electron injection efficiency. The syzygium-Ag–TiO2 DSSC exhibits the best performance with a short-circuit current of 11.8 mA cm−2 corresponding to a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 5.12%, which is higher than the glucose-Ag–TiO2 and UV-Ag–TiO2 DSSCs, and much higher than the blank DSSC.