Natural dyes as photo-sensitizer in solar cells

Authors

  • Surendra Bikram Silwal Department of Chemistry, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
  • Rameshwar Adhikari Research Centre for Applied Science and Technology (RECAST), Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur
  • Prakash Lamichhane Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel Kavre,
  • Netra Lal Bhandari Department of Chemistry, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/bibechana.v17i0.25599

Keywords:

Natural dyes, Dye-sensitized solar cell, Thin film, Spray pyrolysis, ZnO

Abstract

The objective of this research is to employ the natural dyes in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). On account of eco-friendly, renewable, and non-hazardous properties of natural dyes over silicon, a semiconductor, photo-sensitizer in conventional solar cells,  cyclohexane extract of Terminalia alata, a natural dye, was employed as photo-sensitizer. The photoanodes ZnO and 5% Al-doped ZnO for DSSCs were developed by spray pyrolysis. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) has shown hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO with lattice constants a = 3.2487 Å and b = 5.1518 Å having particle size 25.85 nm for ZnO and 33.17 nm for Al-doped ZnO. The DSSC properties such as solar conversion efficiency (η), short-circuit current density (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), and fill factor (FF) were found to be 0.31%, 2.10 mA/cm2, 0.73V, and 45% for ZnO photoanode and 0.37%, 2.25mA/cm2, 0.70 V, and 52.10% for 5% Al-doped photoanode respectively.

BIBECHANA 17 (2020) 27-32

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Published

2020-01-01

How to Cite

Silwal, S. B., Adhikari, R., Lamichhane, P., & Bhandari, N. L. (2020). Natural dyes as photo-sensitizer in solar cells. BIBECHANA, 17, 28–33. https://doi.org/10.3126/bibechana.v17i0.25599

Issue

Vol. 17 (2020)

Section

Research Articles

License

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