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A novel approach to dye-sensitized solar cells using natural cocktail photosensitizers with nano TiO2 semiconductor

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Abstract

The domain of dye-sensitized solar cells, which use natural dye as a sensitizer, is still being studied. This work aims to determine the most potent sensitizers, namely Geneus Tectona grandis, Chassalia curviflora, and Lawsonia inermis for DSSC fabrication. These dyes were co-sensitized in equal proportions, and the performance of DSSCs was improved through co-sensitization of the natural dyes. The effect of sensitizers and their novel cocktail combination in various solvents namely ethanol and deionized water on DSSC performance is examined. Optical properties and the presence of anchoring groups (carboxyl and hydroxyl groups) in the dye extracts are revealed using UV–Vis and FTIR spectroscopy. Successful accomplishment in the conversion of sunlight into electricity and nano TiO2-based solar cells using Geneus Tectona grandis, Chassalia curviflora, Lawsonia inermis, and a cocktail of extracts in which Tectona grandis in ethanol displayed the highest photoconversion efficiency of 0.7% compared to co-sensitized dye extracts, whose power conversion efficiency is 0.2%, respectively. The presence of anthocyanin derivative in teak extracts is very sensitive to visible light and thus leads to higher photosensitized performance. Sensitizers for DSSCs must meet crucial parameters such as strong chelation to the semiconductor oxide surface and absorption in the visible and near-infrared portions of the solar spectrum.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy and Nano Research Lab, Department of Physics, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Eachanari Post, Pollachi Main Road, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, 641 021, India

    Pooja Prakash, N. Ruba, S. Sowmya & B. Janarthanan

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  1. Pooja Prakash
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  2. N. Ruba
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  3. S. Sowmya
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  4. B. Janarthanan
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Contributions

PP: Conceptualization; Investigation; Data curation; Formal analysis; Writing—original draft. NR: Investigation; Resources. SS: Investigation; Resources. BJ: Validation; Supervision.

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Correspondence to B. Janarthanan.

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Prakash, P., Ruba, N., Sowmya, S. et al. A novel approach to dye-sensitized solar cells using natural cocktail photosensitizers with nano TiO2 semiconductor. Opt Quant Electron 54, 843 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-022-04242-1

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