Natural dye extracted from Pandannus amaryllifolius leaves as sensitizer in fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells

摘要

A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was fabricated with natural chlorophyll dye extracted from pandan (Pandannus amaryllifolius) leaves as natural sensitizer. Chlorophyll dye was extracted from pandan leaves using different organic solvents, namely, ethanol, acetonitrile, chloroform, ethyl ether, and methanol, to determine the effects of solvent type on the extraction. The optical and structural properties of the natural extract were also analyzed. UV-Vis spectrophotometer and Fourier transmission infrared studies (FTIR) indicated the presence of chlorophyll in pandan leaves. The absorption spectrum of the dye extract was compared with that of the dye adsorbed onto the TiO2 surface. The dye structure was then confirmed through X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The effectiveness of electron transfer was found to be related to the interaction between the chlorophyll dye and the TiO2 film surface. The morphological properties and composition of dyes were analyzed through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and EDX studies. The photovoltaic response of DSSC was investigated by recording I–V characteristics under illumination. DSSC sensitized with the pandan extract yielded the following parameters: Isc = 0.4 mA, Voc = 0.559 V, Pmax = 0.1 W, FF = 60.51% and η = 0.1%.