title: Photostability of low cost dye-sensitized solar cells based on natural and synthetic dyes.
abstract: This paper deals with the use of some natural pigments as well as synthetic dyes to act as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Anthocyanin dye extracted from rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) flowers, the commercially available textile dye Remazole Red RB-133 (RR) and merocyanin-like dye based on 7-methyl coumarin are tested. The photostability of the three dyes is investigated under UV-Vis light exposure. The results show a relatively high stability of the three dyes. Moreover, the photostability of the solid dyes is studied over the TiO2 film electrodes. A very low decolorization rates are recorded as; rate constants k=1.6, 2.1 and 1.9×10(-3)min(-1) for anthocyanin, RR and coumarin dyes, respectively. The stability results favor selecting anthocyanin as a promising sensitizer candidate in DSSCs based on natural products. Dyes-sensitized solar cells are fabricated and their conversion efficiency (η) is 0.27%, 0.14% and 0.001% for the anthocyanin, RR and coumarin dyes, respectively. Moreover, stability tests of the sealed cells based on anthocyanin and RR dyes are done under continuous light exposure of 100mWcm(-2), reveals highly stable DSSCs.
authors.affiliation: Nano-Photochemistry and Solar chemistry Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, 11566 Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Abdou
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Hafez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bakir
authors.forename: M S A
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Abdel-Mottaleb
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000191:economics; D003116:Color; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003374:Coumarins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000191:economics; D004566:Electrodes; D007700:Kinetics; D008027:Light; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D012993:Solar Energy / Q000191:economics*; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003374:Coumarins; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium; C580890:7-methylcoumarin
keywords: Anthocyanins; Coumarin dye; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Photostability; Remazol red