Sustainable energy development combining natural dyes with titanium dioxide quantum dots in high-efficiency biological solar cells

Abstract

This study utilizes natural dye extracts from inthanin and mahogany, along with synthesized TiO₂QD as the photoanode, to increase the photoconversion productivity and performance of DSSC. TiO₂QD was produced using the sol-gel technique. Titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) and isopropanol underwent hydrolysis with constant stirring for 48 h. The TiO₂QD was characterized using SEM. The structure and size of TiO₂QD were determined using SEM analysis, which showed an average crystallite size ranging from 5 to 8.5 nm. A UV-Vis spectrophotometer determined the absorption wavelength of the dye extract. The efficiency and performance of DSSCs enhanced with synthetic TiO₂QD were evaluated by current-voltage (J-V) measurements. The DSSC using mahogany dye extract demonstrated superior photoconversion efficiency, achieving a Voc (open-circuit voltage) of 0.878 V, Isc (short-circuit current) of 0.775 mA/cm2, FF (fill factor) of 83%, and η (overall efficiency) of 0.967%. In comparison, the inthanin dye extract achieved an overall efficiency of 0.783%. The longstanding performance of solar cells, which was improved using a TiO₂QD photoanode and natural dye extracts, was evaluated using a stability test. The test evaluated the long-term performance, stability, and durability of solar cells. Utilizing natural dye extracts and TiO₂QD holds great potential for improving the efficiency and performance of DSSCs. The objective of this study is to upgrade the advancement of DSSC technology by investigating the utilization of its components and their long-term durability.

Keywords

DSSC / Efficiency / Quantum dots / Natural dye / TiO₂ photoanode

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