Fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells using dried plant leaves

Abstract

In this work, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on natural dyes extracted from six dried plant leaves were fabricated. The extracts were characterized by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. TiO2 nanopowder film on FTO-coated glass was used as anode electrode. The photovoltaic properties of the fabricated DSSCs were investigated under an incident irradiation of 100 mW/cm2. The best performance was found for the DSSC sensitized with Jasminum Grandifolium with a solar energy conversion efficiency of 0.335%. The performance of the fabricated cells was investigated at various pH values of flora dye solutions. Moreover, the photovoltaic properties were studied in different extraction solvents.

Keywords

• Dye sensitized solar cells; natural dyes; plant leaves; TiO2.

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