title: Potential natural sensitizers extracted from the skin of Canarium odontophyllum fruits for dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: Possibility of use of dye extract from skin samples of a seasonal, indigenous fruit from Borneo, namely Canarium odontophyllum, in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are explored. Three main groups of flavonoid pigments are detected and these pigments exhibit different UV-vis absorption properties, and hence showing different light harvesting capabilities. When applied in DSSCs. The detected pigment constituents of the extract consist of aurone (maritimein), anthocyanidin (pelargonidin) and anthocyanidin (cyanidin derivatives). When tested in DSSC, the highest conversion efficiency of 1.43% is exhibited by cyanidin derivatives, and this is followed by conversion efficiencies of 0.51% and 0.79% for aurone and pelargonidin, respectively. It is shown that individual pigments, like cyanidin derivatives and pelargonidin, exhibit higher power conversion efficiency when compared to that of C.odontophyllum skin pigment mixture (with a conversion efficiency of only 0.68%). The results indicate a possibility of masking effects of the pigments when used as a mixture. The acidification of C.odontophyllum skin pigments with concentrated hydrochloric acid improves the conversion efficiency of the mixture from 0.68% to 0.99%. The discussion in this paper will draw data and observations from the variation in absorption and adsorption properties, the HOMO-LUMO levels, the energy band gaps and the functional group compositions of the detected flavonoids.
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam; Centre for Advanced Material & Energy Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
authors.forename: Andery
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Physical and Geological Sciences Programme, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam; Centre for Advanced Material & Energy Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
authors.forename: N T R N
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Kumara
authors.affiliation: Chemical Sciences Programme, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
authors.forename: Ai Ling
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Chemical Sciences Programme, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
authors.forename: Aminul Huq
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.affiliation: UBD|IBM Centre, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
authors.forename: R L N
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Chandrakanthi
authors.affiliation: UBD|IBM Centre, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam; Faculty of Integrated Technology, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
authors.forename: Mohammad Iskandar
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Petra
authors.affiliation: Physical and Geological Sciences Programme, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam; Centre for Advanced Material & Energy Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
authors.forename: Lim Chee
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantane Road, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: G K R
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Senadeera
authors.affiliation: Physical and Geological Sciences Programme, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam; Centre for Advanced Material & Energy Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam. Electronic address: piyasiri.ekanayake@ubd.edu.bn.
authors.forename: Piyasiri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ekanayake
mesh_terms: D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000737:chemistry; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D004560:Electricity; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D029631:Sapindaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D012993:Solar Energy; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D004396:Coloring Agents; C066957:pelargonidin; C017154:cyanidin
keywords: Canarium odontophyllum; Cyanidin; DSSC; HOMO–LUMO; Natural dye