Utilization of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) as sensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs)

• Main Authors: Arof, A. K., Nor, N. A. Mat, Ramli, N. R., Aziz, N., Noor, I. M., Taha, R. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2017
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/63667/1/Utilization%20of%20saffron%20%28Crocus%20sativus%20L.%29%20as%20sensitizer%20in%20dye-sensitized%20solar%20cells%20%28DSSCs%29.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/63667/

Photoelectrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been prepared using nanosized titanium dioxide that have soaked in a solution of different saffron (Crocus sativus L.) spice content in ethanol. The optimized polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based gel polymer electrolyte with 40.93 wt.% ethylene carbonate, 37.97 wt.% propylene carbonate, 4.37 wt.% tetrapropylammonium iodide, 9.86 wt.% PAN, 1.24 wt.% 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide, 4.35 wt.% lithium iodide and 1.28 wt.% iodine has been used as the electrolyte for DSSC. The electrolyte has conductivity of 2.91 mS cm−1 at room temperature (298 K). DSSCs were also sensitized with saffron solution that has been added with 30 wt.% chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) co-adsorbent and designated as DSSC P4. The solar cell converts light-to-electricity at an efficiency of 0.31%. This is 29% enhancement in efficiency for the DSSC without addition of CDCA in the saffron-ethanol solution. The DSSC exhibits current density at short-circuit (J sc ) of 1.26 mA cm−2, voltage at open circuit (V oc ) of 0.48 V and 51% fill factor. DSSC P4 also exhibits the highest incident photon-to-current density of more than 40% at 340 nm wavelength.