This document analyzes the absorption properties and I-V characterization of a dye sensitized solar cell using a natural Ruthenium dye extracted from fruits. Anees Ur Rehman et al. fabricated a DSSC using Ruthenium dye extracted from fruits as a sensitizer on a titanium dioxide layer. They measured the cell's short circuit current, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and efficiency, finding values of 11.52 mA/cm2, 0.70V, 0.61, and 4.47% respectively under 110 mW/cm2 illumination. The dye was found to absorb visible light well and support electron transfer at the semiconductor interface, demonstrating the potential of natural dyes as lower-
Recent progress in non platinum counter electrode materials for dye sensitize...Science Padayatchi
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained increasing attention
with regard to photovoltaic devices, because of their low
cost and simple fabrication methods; they are mostly investigated
in indoor light-harvesting and portable applications. The
focus has been on three main parameters of photovoltaic devices,
that is, lifetime, and cost effectiveness. A DSSC consists of
four prominent components including a photoanode, a photosensitizer,
a redox electrolyte, and a counter electrode. The
counter electrode is a crucial component, in which triiodide is
reduced to iodide by electrons flowing through the external
circuit. An effective approach to improve the performance of
a counter electrode is to enhance the power conversion efficiency
and to reduce the cost of the device. Platinum-coated
conducting glass electrodes give the best performance, but
their high cost and the scarcity of platinum restricts large-scale
application in DSSCs. This has prompted researchers to develop
low-costing platinum-free electrodes for DSSCs. In this
review, we focus mainly on counter electrode materials for the
electrocatalytic redox reaction for the I¢/I¢
3 electrolyte, and
apart from this, other counter electrode materials for iodinefree
redox electrolytes are discussed. Different counter electrode
materials are highlighted in different categories such as
carbon materials, conducting polymers, oxide and sulfide materials,
transition-metal nitrides and carbides, and composite
materials. The stability of counter electrodes in DSSCs is also
presented.
introduction to DSSC, Principle and working of DSSC,Component involved in DSSC, how does DSSC work?,Advantage and disadvantage of DSSC, application of DSSC.
Bathochromic shift in photo-absorption spectra of organic dye sensitizers thr...Narges Mohamadi
Contributed Talks at Australian Institute of Physics 20th National Congress (under the theme of Energy, Energy Materials and Energy Systems), December 2012, Sydney
Synthesis and characterization of zno thin films deposited by chemical bath t...eSAT Journals
Abstract ZnO thin films have been deposited on silica glass substrate using the chemical bath deposition technique. The precursors used were zinc chloride and aqueous ammonia. The solution was stirred continuously with the help of a magnetic stirrer at a bath temperature of 70 oC and a deposition time of 70 minutes. The elemental composition and the surface morphology were studied using energy dispersive and scanning electron microscopy. The band gap was 2.72, 2.66, 2.60 eV for as-deposited, annealed at 200 oC and 300 oC respectively. There was a red shift in the band gap energy as the annealing temperature was increased. This might be due to an improvement in the crystallinity of the ZnO thin films. Index Terms: Zinc oxide, chemical bath, band gap, annealing
Recent progress in non platinum counter electrode materials for dye sensitize...Science Padayatchi
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained increasing attention
with regard to photovoltaic devices, because of their low
cost and simple fabrication methods; they are mostly investigated
in indoor light-harvesting and portable applications. The
focus has been on three main parameters of photovoltaic devices,
that is, lifetime, and cost effectiveness. A DSSC consists of
four prominent components including a photoanode, a photosensitizer,
a redox electrolyte, and a counter electrode. The
counter electrode is a crucial component, in which triiodide is
reduced to iodide by electrons flowing through the external
circuit. An effective approach to improve the performance of
a counter electrode is to enhance the power conversion efficiency
and to reduce the cost of the device. Platinum-coated
conducting glass electrodes give the best performance, but
their high cost and the scarcity of platinum restricts large-scale
application in DSSCs. This has prompted researchers to develop
low-costing platinum-free electrodes for DSSCs. In this
review, we focus mainly on counter electrode materials for the
electrocatalytic redox reaction for the I¢/I¢
3 electrolyte, and
apart from this, other counter electrode materials for iodinefree
redox electrolytes are discussed. Different counter electrode
materials are highlighted in different categories such as
carbon materials, conducting polymers, oxide and sulfide materials,
transition-metal nitrides and carbides, and composite
materials. The stability of counter electrodes in DSSCs is also
presented.
Recent progress in non platinum counter electrode materials for dye sensitize...Science Padayatchi
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained increasing attention
with regard to photovoltaic devices, because of their low
cost and simple fabrication methods; they are mostly investigated
in indoor light-harvesting and portable applications. The
focus has been on three main parameters of photovoltaic devices,
that is, lifetime, and cost effectiveness. A DSSC consists of
four prominent components including a photoanode, a photosensitizer,
a redox electrolyte, and a counter electrode. The
counter electrode is a crucial component, in which triiodide is
reduced to iodide by electrons flowing through the external
circuit. An effective approach to improve the performance of
a counter electrode is to enhance the power conversion efficiency
and to reduce the cost of the device. Platinum-coated
conducting glass electrodes give the best performance, but
their high cost and the scarcity of platinum restricts large-scale
application in DSSCs. This has prompted researchers to develop
low-costing platinum-free electrodes for DSSCs. In this
review, we focus mainly on counter electrode materials for the
electrocatalytic redox reaction for the I¢/I¢
3 electrolyte, and
apart from this, other counter electrode materials for iodinefree
redox electrolytes are discussed. Different counter electrode
materials are highlighted in different categories such as
carbon materials, conducting polymers, oxide and sulfide materials,
transition-metal nitrides and carbides, and composite
materials. The stability of counter electrodes in DSSCs is also
presented.
introduction to DSSC, Principle and working of DSSC,Component involved in DSSC, how does DSSC work?,Advantage and disadvantage of DSSC, application of DSSC.
Bathochromic shift in photo-absorption spectra of organic dye sensitizers thr...Narges Mohamadi
Contributed Talks at Australian Institute of Physics 20th National Congress (under the theme of Energy, Energy Materials and Energy Systems), December 2012, Sydney
Synthesis and characterization of zno thin films deposited by chemical bath t...eSAT Journals
Abstract ZnO thin films have been deposited on silica glass substrate using the chemical bath deposition technique. The precursors used were zinc chloride and aqueous ammonia. The solution was stirred continuously with the help of a magnetic stirrer at a bath temperature of 70 oC and a deposition time of 70 minutes. The elemental composition and the surface morphology were studied using energy dispersive and scanning electron microscopy. The band gap was 2.72, 2.66, 2.60 eV for as-deposited, annealed at 200 oC and 300 oC respectively. There was a red shift in the band gap energy as the annealing temperature was increased. This might be due to an improvement in the crystallinity of the ZnO thin films. Index Terms: Zinc oxide, chemical bath, band gap, annealing
Recent progress in non platinum counter electrode materials for dye sensitize...Science Padayatchi
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained increasing attention
with regard to photovoltaic devices, because of their low
cost and simple fabrication methods; they are mostly investigated
in indoor light-harvesting and portable applications. The
focus has been on three main parameters of photovoltaic devices,
that is, lifetime, and cost effectiveness. A DSSC consists of
four prominent components including a photoanode, a photosensitizer,
a redox electrolyte, and a counter electrode. The
counter electrode is a crucial component, in which triiodide is
reduced to iodide by electrons flowing through the external
circuit. An effective approach to improve the performance of
a counter electrode is to enhance the power conversion efficiency
and to reduce the cost of the device. Platinum-coated
conducting glass electrodes give the best performance, but
their high cost and the scarcity of platinum restricts large-scale
application in DSSCs. This has prompted researchers to develop
low-costing platinum-free electrodes for DSSCs. In this
review, we focus mainly on counter electrode materials for the
electrocatalytic redox reaction for the I¢/I¢
3 electrolyte, and
apart from this, other counter electrode materials for iodinefree
redox electrolytes are discussed. Different counter electrode
materials are highlighted in different categories such as
carbon materials, conducting polymers, oxide and sulfide materials,
transition-metal nitrides and carbides, and composite
materials. The stability of counter electrodes in DSSCs is also
presented.
Electron Injection Kinetics in Dye-Sensitized Solar CellsChelsey Crosse
Overview of kinetic impacts in design of dye-sensitized solar cells. Considerations include cell structure, competing processes, kinetic rates, dye adhesion geometry, dye electronic structure, quantum yield, electron injection, density of states, triplet states lifetime, & sources of quenching.
Remarkable self-organization and unusual conductivity behavior in cellulose n...Pawan Kumar
Aqueous suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals were blended with Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) [PEDOT:PSS], and cast into thin films. The morphology, structure and electrical properties of the resulting nanocomposite thin films were thoroughly characterized. We found that the CNC–PEDOT:PSS blends self-organize into a layered vertical stack with a pitch of 100–200 nm while retaining a continuous percolation network for PEDOT. Atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering and multi-angle light scattering measurements confirmed the wrapping of polymer chains around the rod-like CNCs. The blended films exhibited improved molecular ordering of the PEDOT chains with concomitant improvement in the carrier mobility. The remarkable self-organization and enhanced structural order enabled the CNC–PEDOT:PSS blends to exhibit a high conductivity typical of PEDOT:PSS even when the content of the insulating CNCs in the nanocomposite was as high as 50 wt%.
Tungsten oxide nanostructures for energy storage and field emission applicationseSAT Journals
Abstract
Single crystalline tungsten oxide (WO3) nanorods were synthesized over flexible carbon fabric via simple hydrothermal method
and used directly as supercapacitor (SC) electrode. WO3 nanorods with their peculiar structural features over the fabric exhibited
excellent electrochemical performance with a high specific capacitance of 481.34 F/g at scan speed 10 mV s-1. Additionally, these
nanorods showed propitious as electron field emitters where the registered turn on field and estimated field enhancement values
were 3.6 V/μm and 4550 respectively. These results indicate that present unique WO3 nanorods arrays over flexible carbon cloth
substrate are a promising candidate for constructing high-performance solid state electronics and electrochromic devices.
Key Words: Semiconductor compounds, Nanorods, carbon fabric, Supercapacitors, Field emitters and arrays
Done by Group: ABW-Pearls7
School: Amna Bint Wahb Independent School for Girls
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) Module: The students study the concept of using dyes to plant dyes to capture the solar energy to convert it into electrical energy simulating the natural process “photosynthesis”. They use the workshop-gained knowledge in DSSC to invent new products.
ABW-Pearls7 used Henna to form silver Nano-particles to be used as a dye in DSSC with reference to a research paper in 2013. The results we gained were better than this paper. The application idea is D-SOBATT which is a battery charged with the solar energy through DSSC.
Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Biomedical ApplicationsReset_co
Surface ligands on nanoparticles control their properties and interactions, which can be harnessed for biomedical imaging, cell targeting, and therapeutic applications.
This paper presents a Dye sensitized solar cell (DYSSC), which is called as future generation solar cell. It is a
new class of green photovoltaic cell based on photosynthesis principle in nature. DYSSCs are fabricated using
two different natural dyes as sensitizers, which extracted from the materials existing in nature and our life, such
as flowers, leaves, fruits, traditional Chinese medicines, and beverages. The use of sensitizers having a broad
absorption band in conjunction with oxide films of nanocrystalline morphology permits to harvest a large
fraction of sunlight. There are good prospects to produce these cells at lower cost and much better efficiency
than conventional semiconductor devices by introducing various chemical and natural dyes. DYSSC are
implemented with simple and new technique to overcome the energy crisis and excess cost of semiconductor
solar cells.
Electron Injection Kinetics in Dye-Sensitized Solar CellsChelsey Crosse
Overview of kinetic impacts in design of dye-sensitized solar cells. Considerations include cell structure, competing processes, kinetic rates, dye adhesion geometry, dye electronic structure, quantum yield, electron injection, density of states, triplet states lifetime, & sources of quenching.
Remarkable self-organization and unusual conductivity behavior in cellulose n...Pawan Kumar
Aqueous suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals were blended with Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) [PEDOT:PSS], and cast into thin films. The morphology, structure and electrical properties of the resulting nanocomposite thin films were thoroughly characterized. We found that the CNC–PEDOT:PSS blends self-organize into a layered vertical stack with a pitch of 100–200 nm while retaining a continuous percolation network for PEDOT. Atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering and multi-angle light scattering measurements confirmed the wrapping of polymer chains around the rod-like CNCs. The blended films exhibited improved molecular ordering of the PEDOT chains with concomitant improvement in the carrier mobility. The remarkable self-organization and enhanced structural order enabled the CNC–PEDOT:PSS blends to exhibit a high conductivity typical of PEDOT:PSS even when the content of the insulating CNCs in the nanocomposite was as high as 50 wt%.
Tungsten oxide nanostructures for energy storage and field emission applicationseSAT Journals
Abstract
Single crystalline tungsten oxide (WO3) nanorods were synthesized over flexible carbon fabric via simple hydrothermal method
and used directly as supercapacitor (SC) electrode. WO3 nanorods with their peculiar structural features over the fabric exhibited
excellent electrochemical performance with a high specific capacitance of 481.34 F/g at scan speed 10 mV s-1. Additionally, these
nanorods showed propitious as electron field emitters where the registered turn on field and estimated field enhancement values
were 3.6 V/μm and 4550 respectively. These results indicate that present unique WO3 nanorods arrays over flexible carbon cloth
substrate are a promising candidate for constructing high-performance solid state electronics and electrochromic devices.
Key Words: Semiconductor compounds, Nanorods, carbon fabric, Supercapacitors, Field emitters and arrays
Done by Group: ABW-Pearls7
School: Amna Bint Wahb Independent School for Girls
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) Module: The students study the concept of using dyes to plant dyes to capture the solar energy to convert it into electrical energy simulating the natural process “photosynthesis”. They use the workshop-gained knowledge in DSSC to invent new products.
ABW-Pearls7 used Henna to form silver Nano-particles to be used as a dye in DSSC with reference to a research paper in 2013. The results we gained were better than this paper. The application idea is D-SOBATT which is a battery charged with the solar energy through DSSC.
Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Biomedical ApplicationsReset_co
Surface ligands on nanoparticles control their properties and interactions, which can be harnessed for biomedical imaging, cell targeting, and therapeutic applications.
This paper presents a Dye sensitized solar cell (DYSSC), which is called as future generation solar cell. It is a
new class of green photovoltaic cell based on photosynthesis principle in nature. DYSSCs are fabricated using
two different natural dyes as sensitizers, which extracted from the materials existing in nature and our life, such
as flowers, leaves, fruits, traditional Chinese medicines, and beverages. The use of sensitizers having a broad
absorption band in conjunction with oxide films of nanocrystalline morphology permits to harvest a large
fraction of sunlight. There are good prospects to produce these cells at lower cost and much better efficiency
than conventional semiconductor devices by introducing various chemical and natural dyes. DYSSC are
implemented with simple and new technique to overcome the energy crisis and excess cost of semiconductor
solar cells.
Design and Simulation of Dye Sensitized Solar Cell as a Cost-Effective Alt...Scientific Review SR
The continuous research in the area of renewable energy technology to substitute the unsustainable nature of fossil
fuel in terms of it future availability and negative environmental impact created by fossil fuel has ensure the explore
of solar energy as a good alternative. Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) serve to be a good alternative means of
producing photovoltaic solar cell. This work reports the working principle and construction process of dye-sensitized
solar cell. A synthesized dye (Ruthenium oxide) and an iodide electrolyte were used for better performance based on
already researched work. Also, this work reports the evaluation process with results recorded by the produced solar
cell within 6:00am (GMT) and 6:00pm (GMT) for selected days. The results from the evaluation process show a
better performance of a dye-sensitized solar cell in low and normal sunny day. The solar cell has a good performance
at 12:00noon with a 0.5V output.
Natural Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (NDSSCs) From Opuntia Prickly Pear Dye Usi...IJERA Editor
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 cheap. 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 absorptivity of extracted natural dyes. We investigated the influence of various factors in the extraction process, such as utilization of different extraction approaches, the acidity of extraction solvent, and different compounds of solvents on the optical absorption spectra. It was found that we could considerably enhance the optical absorptivity of dye and consequently the performance of DSSC by choosing a proper mixture of ethanol, methanol and water. In this study, a photo electrode using ZnO doped TiO2 nanoparticles was prepared by sol-gel method. In this paper we investigate the optical absorption, functional group, surface morphology and elementary composition of pure TiO2, ZnO doped TiO2 nanoparticles and opuntia prickly pear dye extract by using UV-Visible, PL-Studies, FT-IR, FE-SEM and EDS analysis. Finally photocurrent-voltaic characterization of nanocrystaline natural dye solar cell using I-V studies. It was found that the levels of short-circuit current (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF) and overall conversion efficiency (η).
Impact of CuS counter electrode calcination temperature on quantum dot sensit...TELKOMNIKA JOURNAL
In place of the commercial Pt electrode used in quantum sensitized solar cells, the low-cost CuS cathode is created using electrophoresis. High resolution scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the structure and morphology of structural cubic samples with diameters ranging from 40 nm to 200 nm. The conversion efficiency of solar cells is significantly impacted by the calcination temperatures of cathodes at 100 °C, 120 °C, 150 °C, and 180 °C under vacuum. The fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO)/CuS cathode electrode reached a maximum efficiency of 3.89% when it was calcined at 120 °C. Compared to other temperature combinations, CuS nanoparticles crystallize at 120 °C, which lowers resistance while increasing electron lifetime.
In place of the commercial Pt electrode used in quantum sensitized solar cells, the low-cost CuS cathode is created using electrophoresis. High resolution scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the structure and morphology of structural cubic samples with diameters ranging from 40 nm to 200 nm. The conversion efficiency of solar cells is significantly impacted by the calcination temperatures of cathodes at 100 °C, 120 °C, 150 °C, and 180 °C under vacuum. The fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO)/CuS cathode electrode reached a maximum efficiency of 3.89% when it was calcined at 120 °C. Compared to other temperature combinations, CuS nanoparticles crystallize at 120 °C, which lowers resistance while increasing electron lifetime.
Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Incorporated with Tio2 -ZnO NanoparticlesScientific Review SR
We demonstrated an improvement in efficiency of Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) decorated with
zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) through successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). A series of
ZnO with different SILAR cycles were synthesized on TiO
2 that has been pre-grown on fluorine tin oxide (FTO)
glass slides. The performance of DSSCs containing ZnO NPs was significantly affected. The photovoltaic (PV)
performance decreased with increasing number of SILAR cycles from two SILAR cycles to four SILAR cycles,
the best performance was achieved using the anodes prepared with two SILAR cycles. The best cell shows a
conversion efficiency (η) of 0.0064 %. The cell exhibits ~ 2.13 improvement over the performance (0.0030 %) of
bare FTO-based device. The related PV performance enhancement mechanism is discussed
About
Indigenized remote control interface card suitable for MAFI system CCR equipment. Compatible for IDM8000 CCR. Backplane mounted serial and TCP/Ethernet communication module for CCR remote access. IDM 8000 CCR remote control on serial and TCP protocol.
• Remote control: Parallel or serial interface.
• Compatible with MAFI CCR system.
• Compatible with IDM8000 CCR.
• Compatible with Backplane mount serial communication.
• Compatible with commercial and Defence aviation CCR system.
• Remote control system for accessing CCR and allied system over serial or TCP.
• Indigenized local Support/presence in India.
• Easy in configuration using DIP switches.
Technical Specifications
Indigenized remote control interface card suitable for MAFI system CCR equipment. Compatible for IDM8000 CCR. Backplane mounted serial and TCP/Ethernet communication module for CCR remote access. IDM 8000 CCR remote control on serial and TCP protocol.
Key Features
Indigenized remote control interface card suitable for MAFI system CCR equipment. Compatible for IDM8000 CCR. Backplane mounted serial and TCP/Ethernet communication module for CCR remote access. IDM 8000 CCR remote control on serial and TCP protocol.
• Remote control: Parallel or serial interface
• Compatible with MAFI CCR system
• Copatiable with IDM8000 CCR
• Compatible with Backplane mount serial communication.
• Compatible with commercial and Defence aviation CCR system.
• Remote control system for accessing CCR and allied system over serial or TCP.
• Indigenized local Support/presence in India.
Application
• Remote control: Parallel or serial interface.
• Compatible with MAFI CCR system.
• Compatible with IDM8000 CCR.
• Compatible with Backplane mount serial communication.
• Compatible with commercial and Defence aviation CCR system.
• Remote control system for accessing CCR and allied system over serial or TCP.
• Indigenized local Support/presence in India.
• Easy in configuration using DIP switches.
Immunizing Image Classifiers Against Localized Adversary Attacksgerogepatton
This paper addresses the vulnerability of deep learning models, particularly convolutional neural networks
(CNN)s, to adversarial attacks and presents a proactive training technique designed to counter them. We
introduce a novel volumization algorithm, which transforms 2D images into 3D volumetric representations.
When combined with 3D convolution and deep curriculum learning optimization (CLO), itsignificantly improves
the immunity of models against localized universal attacks by up to 40%. We evaluate our proposed approach
using contemporary CNN architectures and the modified Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR-10
and CIFAR-100) and ImageNet Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge (ILSVRC12) datasets, showcasing
accuracy improvements over previous techniques. The results indicate that the combination of the volumetric
input and curriculum learning holds significant promise for mitigating adversarial attacks without necessitating
adversary training.
Sachpazis:Terzaghi Bearing Capacity Estimation in simple terms with Calculati...Dr.Costas Sachpazis
Terzaghi's soil bearing capacity theory, developed by Karl Terzaghi, is a fundamental principle in geotechnical engineering used to determine the bearing capacity of shallow foundations. This theory provides a method to calculate the ultimate bearing capacity of soil, which is the maximum load per unit area that the soil can support without undergoing shear failure. The Calculation HTML Code included.
Welcome to WIPAC Monthly the magazine brought to you by the LinkedIn Group Water Industry Process Automation & Control.
In this month's edition, along with this month's industry news to celebrate the 13 years since the group was created we have articles including
A case study of the used of Advanced Process Control at the Wastewater Treatment works at Lleida in Spain
A look back on an article on smart wastewater networks in order to see how the industry has measured up in the interim around the adoption of Digital Transformation in the Water Industry.
2. Anees Ur Rehman et al. / American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 2014, 7 (4): 387.390
DOI: 10.3844/ajeassp.2014.387.390
388
costaricensis and Vaccinium corymbosum can be used
with best efficiency in DSSC. Since the preparation of
synthetic dyes normally requires multistep procedures,
organic solvents and, in most cases, time consuming
chromatographic purification procedures, there is interest
towards the possible use of natural dyes which can be
easily extracted from fruits, vegetable and flowers with
minimal chemical procedures (Polo et al., 2004). Our
aim was to analyze the dye characterization and the
photovoltaic performance of DSSC sensitized with
natural Ruthenium dye as photo-sensitizer.
Experimental Work
Materials
The Ruthenium dye was used as extraction solvent.
Transparent conductive indium tin oxide coated glass
and Titanium nanoxide powder were used as electrode
plates and electron transport layer respectively, carbon
black as counter electrode and tri-iodide redox mediator
(I-
/I3
-
) were used as electrolyte.
Preparation of DSSC
The anode paste was prepared by adding 0.8 g of the
titanium dioxide nano powder with 3 g of N-methyl 2-
Pyrolodin (NMP) solution. Ohm meter was used to test
the conductivity of the slide. Before coating the slide
with the titanium dioxide paste, the glass slides were
cleaned with alcohol. Scotch tape was applied on three
pieces of the conductive side of glass slide. The scotch
tape pieces masked 1 cm strip on three sides of both the
anode and cathode ITO glass having resistance of 22
Ohm/cm each. The 0.5 cm of the 4th side was revealed
for the connecting the alligator clips for sealing of the
manufactured cell. Some drops of titanium dioxide paste
were poured in the well of anode slide. The same
chemicals were selected for the cathode paste except
carbon black was used instead of titanium dioxide. Same
doctor blading technique was applied for the carbon
cathode. Both of the plates were then placed on hot plate
and sintered them at 350°C but the timings for anode and
cathode were different i.e., the anode was heated until
the color is turned to brown and then turned white as its
original color. This took about 4 h, while the cathode
was placed on hot plate for about 1 h. The paste was
distributed uniformly by doctor blading technique. The
working electrode (TiO2 electrode) was immersed in
fresh Ruthenium dye for 24 h. The dyed anode was
placed with face up and the carbon coated cathode was
placed on anode with face down so that the conductive
sides were facing each other. The 1 cm of each slides
were exposed so these edges became the contact points
for positive and negative electrodes and thus the cell was
easy for testing with voltmeter. The two binder clips
were placed at the slides where they overlapped to hold
the slides together. Two drops of the electrolyte solution
was added to one edge of the slides. Then the binder
clips were alternately opened and closed so the solution
was drawn into the cell due to capillary action.
DSSCs Performance
For excellent interparticle connectivity, there should
be no gaps between the coated layers. The I-V
characteristic plot is recorded with 15 kΩ potentiometer
as variable load under 110 mW/cm² illuminations.
Results
Characterization of Nanostructure TiO2
The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of
top view of TiO2 paste coated on ITO electrode is shown
in (Fig. 1). The DSSCs nanostructured photonanode
were fabricated on ITO glass substrates. The film is
about 15-20 µm thick. The SEM image shows that there
were no fractures and no gaps in the TiO2 film particles.
This indicates best inter particles conductivity.
Spectral Response of Photo Anode in UV and
Visible Region
The dye, which is typically an organic complex, is
excited by absorption of photons. The onset of the
absorption is in the range of 700 nm for most of dyes,
which corresponds to photon energy of 1.72 eV. The
potential of the dye redox couple is between -0.7 and -0.8
V. The lifetime of the excited state is in the nanosecond
range. In DSSC, the properties of photo sensitizer are
one of the largest aspects influencing the solar cell
Performance: e.g., the absorption (Fig. 2) shows the light
absorption spectrum from organic fruit dye i.e.,
Ruthenium dye. Property of photo sensitizer decides
directly the range of photo response of the solar cell.
Wide absorption enlarge into the near-IR region is
essential for broad harvesting the solar spectrum, making
a large photo current and resulting in efficient solar-cell
performance. Thus, the molecular structure of the photo
sensitizer must be well designed for use in DSSCs to
produce efficient solar-cell performance. The molecular
structure of the Ruthenium dye is shown in (Fig. 3).
I-V Characteristics of Fabricated Cell
DSSCs with natural Ruthenium as dye and carbon as
counter electrode is illustrated with the help of I-V
characteristics as shown in the (Fig. 4). The values for
short circuit current (Jsc), opencircuit voltage; Fill Factor
(FF) and overall efficiency η (%) for fabricated cell are
summarized in (Table 1). In our experimental work the
anode with TiO2 film, consist of 20 nm nano particles
and the effective area of DSSC is 70.92 cm2
.
3. Anees Ur Rehman et al. / American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 2014, 7 (4): 387.390
DOI: 10.3844/ajeassp.2014.387.390
389
Fig. 1. Top view of SEM image of TiO2 coated film on ITO glass
Fig. 2. Spectral response of ruthenium dye
Fig. 3. Molecular structure of ruthenium dye
4. Anees Ur Rehman et al. / American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 2014, 7 (4): 387.390
DOI: 10.3844/ajeassp.2014.387.390
390
Fig. 4. I-V Characteristics of DSSC
Table 1. Photoelectric parameters of DSSC
Jsc (mA/cm2
) Voc (V) FF η (%)
11.52 0.70 0.61 4.47
Conclusion
A new type of photovoltaic cell with Ruthenium
dye as sensitizer is investigated. The cell was very
simple to fabricate. The cell has the potential of a low
cost photovoltaic option because of using natural
Ruthenium dye as an alternative sensitizer for DSSCs
is promising and carbon as counter electrode instead
of platinum. The joint struggles by the fabrication
with nano-structured thin films have led to maximum
photoelectric conversion efficiency under AM 1.5 of
4.47% for tested DSSC module with an effective area
of 70.92 cm2
. From our results, it is possible to obtain
over 7% photoelectric conversion efficiency for large-
scale practical DSSC in the near future if we could get
the optimum design and best performance.
Acknowledgement
We thank Dr. Najeeb Ullah (Director, Energy
Center, University of Engineering and Technology
(UET) Peshawar, Pakistan) and Engr. Prof. Dr. Azzam
Ul Asar (Dean, UET Peshawar, Pakistan) for all the
advices and explanations essential for the conduct of
this article.
Funding Information
The research was a joint venture program between
Cambridge University, UK and University of
Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, Pakistan.
All the funding for the research was provided by the
UET Peshawar.
Author’s Contributions
Authors equally contributed to this article.
Ethics
The research publication meets all the Ethical
Standard.
References
Bazargan, M.H., M. Malekshahi Byranvand, A.
Nematikharat and L. Fatholahi, 2011. Natural
pomegranate juice as photosensitizers for Dye-
Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC). Iran. Res. Organiz.
Sci. Technol., 5: 360-362.
Choi, H., J.J. Kim, K. Song, J. Ko and K. Nazeeruddin
et al., 2010. Molecular engineering of panchromatic
unsymmetrical squaraines for dye-sensitized solar
cell applications. J. Mat. Chem., 20: 3280-3286.
DOI: 10.1039/b926863d
Grätzel, M., 2009. Recent advances in sensitized
mesoscopic solar cells. Acc. Chem. Res., 42: 1788-
1798. DOI: 10.1021/ar900141y
Liao, M.H. and C.H. Chen, 2011. The investigation of
optimal Si-SiGe hetero-structure thin-film solar cell
with theoretical calculation and quantitative
analysis. IEEE Trans. Nano Technol., 10: 770-773.
DOI: 10.1109/TNANO.2010.2077647
Polo, A.S., M.K. Itokazu and N.Y. Murakami Iha, 2004.
Coord. Chem. Rev., 248: 1343-1361.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2004.04.013
Yum, J.H., P. Walter, S. Huber, D. Rentsch and T.
Geiger et al., 2007. Efficient far red sensitization
of nanocrystalline TiO2 films by an
unsymmetrical squaraine dye. J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
129: 10320-10321. DOI: 10.1021/ja0731470