Harnessing Nature's Colours: Experimental andComputational Insights into Bixa orellana Pigments for Next-Generation Dye-SensitizedSolar Cells

Abstract

The potential of Bixa orellana (annatto)pigments, specifically bixin and norbixin, as sensitizers for dye-sensitizedsolar cells (DSSCs) was investigated. The pigments were extracted using varioussolvents (acetone, methanol, ethanol, and hexane), and their optical andphoto-electrical properties were investigated using UV-Vis spectroscopy andphotoelectrical analysis. Results indicate that acetone extract (a-AP)exhibited the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.786%, attributedto its broad absorption spectrum and optimal electronic properties. Quantumchemical calculations revealed that both bixin and norbixin exhibit favourablefrontier orbital energies and energy gaps, making them well-suited forefficient electron injection and light absorption. These findings position Bixaorellana pigments as promising, eco-friendly alternatives to conventionalsynthetic sensitizers, offering a pathway toward more sustainable, locallyadaptable, and efficient solar energy harvesting.

Keywords

Bixa orellana / Bixin and norbixin / Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) / Natural sensitizers / Photo-electrochemicalperformance / Quantum chemical calculations

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the support of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the TETFund Centre of Excellence in Computational Intelligence Research, as well as the Management of the University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, E.I.; Methodology, E.I. and M.U.; Software, E.I. and I.O.; Validation, E.I., I.O., R.U., S.U., M.U. and U.I.; Formal Analysis, E.I., I.O., R.U. and S.U.; Investigation, E.I., I.O. and R.U.; Resources, E.I., R.U., S.U., M.U. and U.I.; Data Curation,E.I., I.O. and R.U.; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, E.I., I.O., R.U., S.U., M.U. and U.I.; Writing—Review & Editing, E.I. and M.U.; Visualization, U.I.; Supervision, E.I.; Project Administration, E.I. and U.I.; Funding Acquisition, E.I. and U.I., please turn to the CRediT taxonomy for the term explanation.

Ethics Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicting interest.

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