Abstract :

Hazardous chemicals escape into the environment due to many natural and manmade activities. They cause adverse effects on human health and environment. Natural dye-sensitized solar cells (NDSSCs) have gained considerable attention in the field of solar energy due to their simple fabrication, good efficiency, and low production cost. Natural dyes are environmentally and economically superior to ruthenium-based dyes, because they are nontoxic and cheaper. However, the conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells based on natural dyes is low. One way to improve the DSSC performance is to enhance the absorption (efficiency) of extracted natural dyes. The optical absorption and the functional group prepared from natural dyes were analyzed by using UV-Visible, PL-studies and FT-IR analysis. The optical absorption and surface morphology of pure and doped TiO2 Nanopaste coated on dye dipped FTO glass plate were analyzed by using UV-Visible and FE-SEM analysis. NDSSCs were assembled by using methanol treatment of Prunus Dulcis fruit, Red Indian Spin-ach leaves & Red Indian Spinach fruit dyes. Finally photo-voltaic characterizations of assembled nanocrystaline natural dye solar cells were analyzed by using J-V studies. The photo - electrochemical parameters, such as short-circuit current (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF) and overall conversion efficiency (?) are evaluated.