Fabrication of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells using natural flower dye extracts: A study on performance analysis and solar dye degradation
07 Aug 2020-Energy Sources Part A-recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects (Taylor & Francis)-pp 1-15
TL;DR: The performance of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) mostly depends on dye as the sensitizer material, and natural dyes can be used as a suitable alternative, because of its minimal extraction effort as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The performance of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) mostly depends on dye as the sensitizer material. Natural dyes can be used as a suitable alternative, because of its minimal extraction effort, e...
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21 Jun 2021
14 citations
TL;DR: In this article , bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) was integrated with nitrogen- or boron-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) via a hydrothermal approach at a temperature of 200 °C.
Abstract: Semiconductor materials have been recently employed in photovoltaic devices, particularly dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), to solve numerous global issues, especially the current energy crisis emanating from the depletion and hazardous nature of conventional energy sources, such as fossil fuels and nuclear energy. However, progress for the past years has been mainly limited by poor electron injection and charge carrier recombination experienced by DSSCs at the photoanode. Thus, novel semiconductor materials such as bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) have been investigated as an alternative photoanode material. In this study, Bi2O3 was integrated with nitrogen- or boron-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO or B-rGO, respectively) via a hydrothermal approach at a temperature of 200 °C. Various instrumental techniques were used to investigate the morphology, phase structure, thermal stability, and surface area of the resulting nanocomposites. The incorporation of N-rGO or B-rGO into Bi2O3 influenced the morphology and structure of the nanocomposite, thereby affecting the conductivity and electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite. B-rGO/Bi2O3 exhibited a relatively large surface area (65.5 m2 g−1), lower charge transfer resistance (108.4 Ω), higher charge carrier mobility (0.368 cm2 V−1 s−1), and higher electrical conductivity (6.31 S cm−1) than N-rGO/Bi2O3. This led to the fabrication of B-rGO/Bi2O3 photoanode-based DSSCs with superior photovoltaic performance, as revealed by their relatively high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.97%, which outperformed the devices based on N-rGO/Bi2O3, rGO/Bi2O3, and Bi2O3 photoanodes. Therefore, these results demonstrate the promising potential of heteroatom-doped rGO/Bi2O3-based nanocomposites as photoanode materials of choice for future DSSCs.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was used as a sensitizer in order to select, extract, and characterize natural dyes and to use them as sensitizers in DSSCs.
Abstract: This paper is aimed at how to select, extract, and characterize natural dyes and to use them as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Dyes obtained from fresh sources of annatto fruits, black plums, cactus fruits, turmeric roots, and red spinach leaves were used as sensitizers. The dye pigments were analyzed using UV-Vis spectrophotometer and FT-IR for the characterization of their spectral properties. The combination from Titanium dioxide paste with the powdered nanotubes was used as photoanodes for DSSCs. The photovoltaic properties of the DSSCs such as efficiency, fill factor, open-circuit voltage, and short circuit current were studied using a standard illumination of air-mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5 G) having an irradiance of 100 mW/cm2. The highest power conversion efficiencies (η) of 0.7% was achieved for the DSSCs fabricated using dye extracted from annatto fruits and 0.4% each for dyes extracted from black plum fruits and cactus fruits, respectively. The widespread accessibility of these fruits, roots, and leaves and ease of extraction of dyes from these ordinarily available natural resources render them unique and low-cost candidates for solar cell fabrication.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , four natural dyes were extracted from different fruits used in the Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), including ber, blackberry, black grapes, and blueberry by individual dye or combined with other dyes.
3 citations
TL;DR: The natural selectivity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) using the anthocyanins extracted from frozen blueberry fruit has been investigated for the improvement of the natural dye-sensitized solar cell.
Abstract: The natural selectivity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) using the anthocyanins extracted from frozen blueberry fruit has been investigated for the improvement of the natural dye-sensitized solar cell. T...
1 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a photovoltaic cell, created from low-to medium-purity materials through low-cost processes, which exhibits a commercially realistic energy-conversion efficiency.
Abstract: THE large-scale use of photovoltaic devices for electricity generation is prohibitively expensive at present: generation from existing commercial devices costs about ten times more than conventional methods1. Here we describe a photovoltaic cell, created from low-to medium-purity materials through low-cost processes, which exhibits a commercially realistic energy-conversion efficiency. The device is based on a 10-µm-thick, optically transparent film of titanium dioxide particles a few nanometres in size, coated with a monolayer of a charge-transfer dye to sensitize the film for light harvesting. Because of the high surface area of the semiconductor film and the ideal spectral characteristics of the dye, the device harvests a high proportion of the incident solar energy flux (46%) and shows exceptionally high efficiencies for the conversion of incident photons to electrical current (more than 80%). The overall light-to-electric energy conversion yield is 7.1-7.9% in simulated solar light and 12% in diffuse daylight. The large current densities (greater than 12 mA cm-2) and exceptional stability (sustaining at least five million turnovers without decomposition), as well as the low cost, make practical applications feasible.
26,457 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a dye-sensitized solar cell with six different structures, with layers of nanoparticles, light-scattering particles, and mixture of nanoparticle and light scattering particles on the conducting glass at a desirable sequence and thickness, were designed and investigated.
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TL;DR: This review focuses especially on the structural aspects of these novel dye anchors for TiO2-based DSSCs, including pyridine, phosphonic acid, tetracyanate, perylene dicarboxylic acid anhydride, 2-hydroxylbenzonitrile, 8-Hydroxylquinoline, pyrsidine-N-oxide, hydroxylpyridium, and salicylic acid substituents.
Abstract: The dyes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) require one or more chemical substituents that can act as an anchor, enabling their adsorption onto a metal oxide substrate. This adsorption provides a means for electron injection, which is the process that initiates the electrical circuit in a DSSC. Understanding the structure of various DSSC anchors and the search for new anchors are critical factors for the development of improved DSSCs. Traditionally, carboxylic acid and cyanoacrylic acid groups are employed as dye anchors in DSSCs. In recent years, novel anchor groups have emerged, which make a larger pool of materials available for DSSC dyes, and their associated physical and chemical characteristics offer interesting effects at the interface between dye and metal oxide. This review focuses especially on the structural aspects of these novel dye anchors for TiO2-based DSSCs, including pyridine, phosphonic acid, tetracyanate, perylene dicarboxylic acid anhydride, 2-hydroxylbenzonitrile, 8-hydroxylquinoline, pyridine-N-oxide, hydroxylpyridium, catechol, hydroxamate, sulfonic acid, acetylacetanate, boronic acid, nitro, tetrazole, rhodanine, and salicylic acid substituents. We anticipate that further exploration and understanding of these new types of anchoring groups for TiO2 substrates will not only contribute to the development of advanced DSSCs, but also of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells, water splitting systems, and other self-assembled monolayer-based technologies.
612 citations
TL;DR: The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells is mainly based on the dye as a sensitizer as mentioned in this paper, which has become a viable alternative to expensive and rare organic sensitizers because of its low cost, easy attainability, abundance in supply materials and no environment threat.
Abstract: The performance of dye sensitized solar cells is mainly based on the dye as a sensitizer. Natural dyes have become a viable alternative to expensive and rare organic sensitizers because of its low cost, easy attainability, abundance in supply of raw materials and no environment threat. Various components of a plant such as the flower petals, leaves and bark have been tested as sensitizers. The nature of these pigments together with other parameters has resulted in varying performance. This review briefly discusses the emergence, operation and components of dye sensitized solar cells together with the work done on natural dye based dye sensitized solar cells over the years.
592 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a dye-sensitized solar cell was assembled by using natural dyes extracted from black rice, capsicum, erythrina variegata flower, rosa xanthina, and kelp as sensitizers.
543 citations