Enhanced performance of dye-sensitized solar cells using natural cocktail dye as sensitizer

Abstract

The natural plant based Dye Sensitized Solar Cells’s(DSSC’s) are significant because of their low cost, non – toxic, environmental friendliness and availability. Plant dyes act as a sensitizer by absorbing sunlight and converting the solar energy into electric energy. Nowadays, the several natural plant based dyes have been employed as sensitizers in DSSCs. Natural dyes from Murraya Koenigii Fruit (MKF) and Hibiscus Sabdarifa Flower (HSF) were extracted. In the DSSCs, the individual dyes of MKF and HSF and the cocktail dye of MKF and HSF (1:1) had been examined as dye sensitizers. UV–vis spectrometers, PL-studies, Cyclic Voltammeter and FT–IR analysis were used to analyze the optical properties, electrochemical behavior and functional groups of natural dyes. UV–vis spectrometers, and PL-studies were used to analyze the optical properties of dyed photo anode. Co-dominance performance of DSSC sensitized with cocktail dye was observed in which the cocktail dye demonstrated a voltage 267 mV when compared to MKF and HSF.