Abstract
In this research, treated metakaolinite (TMK) was introduced into the TiO2 photoelectrode to fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The photovoltaic cells have four main natural components, i.e., a photosensitizer (carotenoid bixin), photoelectrode (TiO2/kaolinite), electrolyte (glycerine carbonate derivative), and counter-electrode (carbon). Their stability, reusability, and equivalent circuit were studied. The presence of 5% of TMK in anatase TiO2 paste decreased the TiO2 band gap from 3.21 to 3.16 eV. The result showed that the presence of 5% of TMK in TiO2 paste was more favorable to obtain higher energy conversion efficiency. Under a light intensity of 200 W/m2, it produced an energy conversion yield of 0.086%. The combination of the electrolyte and the TMK demonstrated a synergistic effect to improve the electrical properties of the DSSC. The energy storage function worked well until the third day of analysis. The DSSC based on TiO2/TMK photoelectrode exhibited 16 times better stability than pure TiO2-based photoelectrode. The Faraday charge transfer processes showed that the TiO2/TMK photoelectrode is not in direct contact with the carbon counter-electrode.
Highlights
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a third-generation photovoltaic cell that converts any visible light into electrical energy
This paper presents the role of treated metakaolinite (TMK) in small concentrations in the TiO2 photoelectrode for DSSCs
Our results show that LiI-I2based redox couples can improve the performance of DSSC with an efficiency up to 0.062%, which is higher than that of DSSC fabricated with KI-I2 based redox couple 0.050%
Summary
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a third-generation photovoltaic cell that converts any visible light into electrical energy. Ruthenium and several materials used in these cells are toxic and relatively expensive because they have a low natural abundance. They offer a promising alternative to conventional and expensive silicon-based solar. Several studies have reported that SiO2 and A l2O3 are an energy barrier for suppressing charge recombination due to their insulation properties [5,6,7]. They can decrease the interaction between the excited electrons in the photoelectrode and the electrolyte ions [8]. T iO2/clay photoelectrode provided a lower DSSC efficiency than the pure T iO2 photoelectrode, probably due to the high composition of clay used
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