Synergistic role of aluminium sulphate flocculation agent as bi-functional dye additive for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC)

Synergistic role of aluminium sulphate flocculation agent as bi-functional dye additive for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC)

In this study, an organic dye sensitizer derived from blackberry fruits was employed, and the influence of aluminium sulphate, Al2(SO4)3·H2O (alum) as a bi-functional (acidification and flocculation) additive in DSSC was investigated. The alum treated dye solution, ATD, was created by adding 0.1 g a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optik (Stuttgart) Vol. 258; p. 168945
Main Authors: Shahrul, A.M., Abdullah, M.H., Mamat, M.H., Syarifah Adilah, MY, Samat, A.A.A., Hamzah, I.H., Yusnita, M.A., Soh, Z.H. Che
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier GmbH 01-05-2022
Subjects:
Acid treatment
Acidification
Alum
DSSC
Flocculation
Natural dye
Acid treatment
Acidification
Alum
Natural dye
Flocculation
DSSC
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Summary:In this study, an organic dye sensitizer derived from blackberry fruits was employed, and the influence of aluminium sulphate, Al2(SO4)3·H2O (alum) as a bi-functional (acidification and flocculation) additive in DSSC was investigated. The alum treated dye solution, ATD, was created by adding 0.1 g alum to the dye solution prior to the immersion operation. As reference, an untreated dye solution, UD, was created for comparative purposes. The TiO2 photoelectrodes were characterized through FESEM, EDXs, and XRD techniques, while the dye properties were investigated using UV-Vis and FTIR. Finally, I-V characteristic, IPCE and EIS measurements were used to assess the overall performances of DSSCs. Based on the findings, the photocurrent-voltage conversion efficiency of the ATD, and the non-treated (UD) dye sensitised DSSCs were found to be 0.64 ± 0.02% and 0.44 ± 0.02%, respectively. The role of alum in regulating the acidity of the blackberry dye solution in the ATD photoelectrode mimics the acid treatment process on TiO2 nanoparticles. Furthermore, the purification process of natural dye solution by the flocculation reaction of crude impurities (sugar, protein, etc.) purifies the dye solution even further. The ATD DSSC outperformed the UD by 45.50 ± 0.02% as a result of these combined effects. [Display omitted] •Novel Alum flocculation agent is used as dye additive for DSSCs.•Alum as dye additive through its flocculation and chelation effect.•Alum attract loosely and dispersed TiO2 particles to form bigger particle.•Alum improved DSSC performance to 45.5% compared to the non-treated dye cell.
ISSN:0030-4026
1618-1336
DOI:10.1016/j.ijleo.2022.168945