Integration of photosystem I and photosystem II from tylakoid membrane of spirulina sp. for DSSC natural dye pigments

Abstract

Conversion of sunlight to electron within pigment-protein complex of Photosistem I (PS I) and Photosystem II (PS II) in kloroplast's tylakoid membrane is the hearth of photosynthesis process. This process is very efficient with nearly 100% quantum efficiency. In this paper, we demonstrate the integration of PS I and PS II pigment-protein complex extracted from spirulina sp, as the natural dye for DSSC structure. The PS I and PS II was obtained by ultrasonic cell rupture followed by staggered sequential centrifugation at various g-force level to separate the tylakoid protein complex from other cell components. Contrary to typical DSSC using inorganic dyes which requires elaborate surface treatment, expensive, and employing hazardous dyes, the devices described here are straightforward and inexpensive to fabricate. The device also perform well on photovoltaic activity yielding open circuit voltage of 0.20 V, short-circuit current density of 7.60 μA, and fill factor of 35% at 1 mW/cm2 incandescence lamp illumination.