Characterization and Comparison of DSSCs Fabricated with Black Natural Dyes Extracted from Jamun, Black Plum, and Blackberry
Ahmed Sikder,
William Ghann,
Md Rafsun Jani,
Md Tohidul Islam,
Saquib Ahmed,
Mohammed M. Rahman,
Md Abdul Majed Patwary,
Mohsin Kazi,
Jahidul Islam,
Faisal I. Chowdhury,
Mohammad A. Yousuf,
Mohammad Mahbub Rabbani,
Mohammad Hossain Shariare,
Jamal Uddin
Affiliations
Ahmed Sikder
Center for Nanotechnology, Department of Natural Sciences, Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD 21216, USA
William Ghann
Center for Nanotechnology, Department of Natural Sciences, Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD 21216, USA
Md Rafsun Jani
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
Md Tohidul Islam
Department of Materials Design and Innovation, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
Saquib Ahmed
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, SUNY—Buffalo State, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA
Mohammed M. Rahman
Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research (CEAMR) & Department of Chemistry, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Md Abdul Majed Patwary
Department of Chemistry, Comilla University, Cumilla 3506, Bangladesh
Mohsin Kazi
Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Jahidul Islam
Department of Chemistry, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh
Faisal I. Chowdhury
Department of Chemistry, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh
Mohammad A. Yousuf
Department of Chemistry, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh
Mohammad Mahbub Rabbani
Department of Chemistry, American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
Mohammad Hossain Shariare
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North South University, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
Jamal Uddin
Center for Nanotechnology, Department of Natural Sciences, Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD 21216, USA
In this report, natural dyes extracted from three different, black-colored fruits were used as photosensitizers for the construction of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The natural dyes were extracted from the dark-colored peels of jamun (also known as Indian black plum), black plum, and blackberry fruit. These natural dyes contain polyphenolic compounds—most prominently anthocyanins—which interact strongly with titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductors and accordingly enhance the efficiency of DSSCs. The natural dyes extracted from the various fruits were characterized utilizing UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The interaction between the dyes and TiO2 was monitored with FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The fabricated DSSCs were characterized via current–voltage measurements and electrochemical impedance analysis. DSSCs fabricated with jamun produced the highest efficiency of 1.09% with a short-circuit current of 7.84 mA/cm2, an open-circuit voltage of 0.45 V, and a fill factor of 0.31. The efficiencies of the DSSCs from black plum and blackberry were 0.55% and 0.38%, respectively. The flow of charge occurring at the interfaces between the natural dye and the TiO2 layers were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to directly compare three distinct types of black DSSCs. Computation analysis was also carried out utilizing SCAPS-1D software (version 3.3.07), which revealed how the type of defects in the devices impacts their performance.
