Performance of DSSCs using extracts of Coffea arabica, Punica granatum, and Fragaria × ananassa as sensitizing natural dyes

Abstract

The following investigation was aimed at studying the potential use of fruit extracts, with predominant components of anthocyanins (coffee, pomegranate and strawberry), as pigments in pigment-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The cells were built using ITO conductive glasses coated with a TiO2 layer integrated with the extracted pigments as photoanode and carbon particles as counter electrode. The performance of the DSSCs was studied by irradiating the cells with white LED light with a maximum intensity of 33 mW/cm2. The pigments were characterized by FTIR and UV-Vis spectrophotometry techniques, obtaining characteristic spectra of its active components. The current, voltage and power density graphs allowed to evaluate the performance of the DSSCs, a filling factor (FF) of 44.6% was found for the cells sensitized with strawberry extract and an efficiency of 0.21% for those sensitized with coffee. EIS results confirm the FF value obtained from strawberry extract-sensitized cells caused by a low charge recombination rate. This work attempts to contribute to the use of natural pigments in the operation of DSSCs as a more ecological and economical alternative