The Sensitization Effect Of Natural Anthocyanin And Chlorophyll Dyes On Zinc Oxide Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Performances

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyse the photovoltaic performances of fabricated zinc oxide (ZnO) based dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with different natural dyes. The cell was sensitized with two types of natural dyes derived from anthocyanin and chlorophyll pigments. The attribute factors ofthe performances of DSSC samples were investigated by characterizing the active materials in the photoanodes in terms of morphological, optical properties and crystal structure. The natural anthocyanin and chlorophyll dyes were ethanolic extracted from red frangipani flowers and star gooseberry leaves, respectively, and named as red frangipani dye (RFD) and star gooseberry dye (SGD). The ZnO layer of photoanodes was sensitized with RFD and SGD in varied dye-loading duration. The onset dye-loading duration of 4h for both RFD and SGD produced power conversion efficiency (PCE) values of::::: 0.038% and = 0.014%, respectively. Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) absorption measurement

showed that RFD sensitized photoanode absorbed a wider range of visible light than SGD sensitized photoanode. Moreover, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis proved that RFD was anchored strongly, while SGD only formed a weak physical bond with ZnO. From the morphological study, the sensitized nanopatiicles in RFD 4h had a significant diameter increment and more homogeneous surface compared to that in SGD 4h, which indicates that RFD molecules are chemically absorbed and anchored to the surface of ZnO.