Studies on the optical and photoelectric properties of anthocyanin and chlorophyll as natural co-sensitizers in dye sensitized solar cell

Hui Nan, He Ping Shen*, Gang Wang, Shou Dong Xie, Gui Jun Yang, Hong Lin

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    59 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Anthocyanin and Chlorophyll extracted from Troll flower and Cypress leaf respectively are used as natural sensitizers in dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs), with their optical and electrochemical properties investigated. UV–Vis absorption measurement showed that the mixture of two dyes enabled an enhanced and wider absorption in the wavelength range of 300 nm–700 nm compared to each single dye. FTIR results proved that anthocyanin is chemically adsorbed onto the TiO2 film, while it is physical adsorption for chlorophyll. The energy level offsets on the TiO2/dye/electrolyte interface for each dye and the dye mixture with different ratios were calculated from the electrochemical analysis, which affect the electron injection and dye regeneration efficiencies. The optimized ratio of the two dyes in the mixture was found to be ∼2:5, inducing both sufficient charge transfer driving force and minimal energy loss. By incorporating this mixture into the solar cell as co-adsorbing sensitizer, the photovoltaic performance was prominently improved compared with the single dye sensitization system.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)172-178
    Number of pages7
    JournalOptical Materials
    Volume73
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2017

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Studies on the optical and photoelectric properties of anthocyanin and chlorophyll as natural co-sensitizers in dye sensitized solar cell'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this