Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) Based on Extracted Natural Dyes

Ahmed M Ammar,Ahmed S G Khalil,Hemdan S H Mohamed,Ahmed S Hassanien,Ghada M Abdel-Hafez,Moataz M K Yousef

doi:10.1155/2019/1867271

Ahmed M Ammar, Ahmed S G Khalil + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1867271

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Abstract

Here, three natural dyes were extracted from different fruits and leaves and used as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Chlorophyll was extracted from spinach leaves using acetone as a solvent. Anthocyanin was extracted from red cabbage and onion peels using water. Different characterizations for the prepared natural dyes were conducted including UV-vis absorption, FTIR, and steady-state/time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Various DSSCs based on the extracted dyes were fabricated. The degradation in the power conversion efficiencies was monitored over a week. The effect of the TiO2 mesoporous layers on the efficiency was also studied. The interfaces between the natural dyes and the TiO2 layers were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Highlights

IntroductionVarious types of solar cells have been developed to convert sunlight to electricity
Over the last years, various types of solar cells have been developed to convert sunlight to electricity
dyesensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was assembled by filling the electrolyte between a TiO2 electrode and a conductive glass substrate plated with Pt

Summary

Introduction

Various types of solar cells have been developed to convert sunlight to electricity. Multijunction semiconductor solar cells have shown the world record efficiency of 46% [4]. Their applications are mostly limited to space industry. There are other types of less efficient and low-cost cells, such as dyesensitized solar cells (DSSCs) [5] and organic solar cells [6] These cells have been around for years and stimulated useful studies; their implementation for large-scale applications is still limited. Ramanarayanan et al extracted the dye from the leaves of red amaranth and studied the effect of using different solvents, such as water and ethanol, and achieved PCE of 0.230% and 0.530%, respectively [33]. The degradation in the PCE of N719 and natural-based DSSCs was monitored

Experimental

Results and Discussion

Conclusions