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Non-metallic organic dyes as photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells: a review

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Abstract

The advent of novel technologies has led to the need for environmental and economic integration. Energy consumption plays a vital role in human existence, and thereby sustainable development is the need of the hour. When the methods of energy production are discussed, renewable resources are opted to meet the needs of the future with the key resources being solar and wind energy. Solar energy is widely adapted and harnessed due to its abundance and various benefits. Silicon-based solar cells, though produced higher efficiencies, have many cons due to their toxicity and cost. Dye-sensitized solar cells have been grounded as a better alternative due to their ability to function under low light, wider angles, and low internal temperature. In this review paper, various organic metal-free dyes, and their efficiencies along with their cell parameters are discussed. These metal-free dyes are adopted over conventional ruthenium dyes due to their non-toxicity, availability, and cost.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Thandalam, Chennai, India

    Mary Rosana Nalzala Thomas, Aparna Annamalai Dhandayuthapani & Vijayalakshmi Jayakumar

  2. Center for Energy Research, Chennai Institute of Technology, Chennai, India

    Vincent Joseph Kanniyambatti Lourdusamy

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  1. Mary Rosana Nalzala Thomas
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  2. Vincent Joseph Kanniyambatti Lourdusamy
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  3. Aparna Annamalai Dhandayuthapani
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The authors, Mary Rosana Nalzala Thomas, Vijayalakshmi Jayakumar, and Aparna Annamalai Dhandayuthapani, have written the manuscript, and Vincent Joseph Kanniyambatti Lourdusamy gave inputs for the organization of article, drawn the chemical structures and carried out corrections in the manuscript.

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Nalzala Thomas, M.R., Kanniyambatti Lourdusamy, V.J., Dhandayuthapani, A.A. et al. Non-metallic organic dyes as photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells: a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 28911–28925 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13751-7

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