Synergetic effect of the SENSTIZER DERIVED from the flowers, leaves and stems of Senna auriculata for light HARVESTING and photogeneration in dye sensitized solar cell

Abstract

Senna auriculata is a tolerant leguminous tree in drought and dry climatic condition and for the first time the leaves, leaf stems and flowers of Senna auriculata has been mixed to extract the dye using ethanol. Dye is enriched with the pigments of chlorophyll, anthraquinones, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, terpenoids, glycosides and triterpenoids which are indispensable for the sensitizer to be used in dye sensitized solar cell applications. Optical absorption wavelength, the chemical constituent's group and emission wavelength of the dye is studied using FTIR, UV–Visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The well-characterized dye is used as sensitizer in the photoanode which soaks the FTO substrate/TiO2 nanorods and sandwiched with the Graphite coated FTO counter electrode along with the electrolyte of iodide/triiodide of the solar cell. SEM photographs for the formation of randomly oriented TiO2 nanorods on the FTO substrate has been taken and confirmed. Two cells have been made with the dye of 5 g and 10 g in 50 ml of ethanol and tested for the better concentration on the performance of the cell. The cells have produced efficiency of 1.9656% and 1.8286% with fill factor of 0.7897 and 0.7840 which have light deviation from each other.