PROJECT TITLE :

Influence of Solvents and Surface Treatment on Photovoltaic Response of DSSC Based on Natural Curcumin Dye

ABSTRACT:

Dye-sensitized solar cells have recently drawn a lot of attention as a result of of their cost effectiveness and straightforward producing process. But, the challenge lies in minimizing the value of sensitizer dyes and also the platinum-based mostly counter electrode. Natural dyes like red cabbage, red perilla, rosella, blue pea, and curcumin represent an occasional-price, environmentally friendly various to costly ruthenium-primarily based complexes for sensitization of nc-TiO$_2$. Tries are being made to improve the efficiency of a cell based mostly on natural dyes by method of choosing a proper sensitizer, modifying the surface of a operating electrode by chemical treatment, and replacing a platinum-primarily based counter electrode. We have a tendency to have adopted two approaches to enhance the photovoltaic response of a cell, i.e., 1) modifying the surface of a operating electrode by treating it with HCl and TiCl$_4$ and 2) using completely different organic solvents to enhance the extent of sensitization. PEDOT:PSS grown over graphite-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide is employed as a counter electrode to catalyze the reduction of triiodide ($rm I_3^ -$) to iodide (I$^-$). A TiCl$_four$-treated photoelectrode, on sensitization with curcumin, provides maximum power conversion efficiency. The impact of the solvent's polarity in dye diffusion decided with cyclic voltametry. Kelvin probe, SEM, and Raman spectroscopy are utilized to justify the surface modification of nc-TiO$_two$ induced by TiCl$_four$ treatment.