Functionalization of Congo red dye as a light harvester on solar cell

Abstract

The demands of ecofriendly technologies to produce a reliable supply of renewable energy on a large scale remains a challenge. A solar cell based on DSSC (Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell) technology is environmentally friendly and holds the promise of a high efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity. This manuscript describes the development of a light harvester system as a main part of a DSSC. Congo red dye has been functionalized with metals (Fe, Co, Ni), forming a series of complexes that serve as a novel light harvester on the solar cell. Metal-congo red complexes have been characterized by UV-VIS and FTIR spectroscopy, and elemental analyses. The performance of metal complexes in capturing photons from sunlight has been investigated in a solar cell device. The incorporation of metals to congo red successfully improved of the congo red efficiency as follows: Fe(II)-congo red, Co(II)-congo red and Ni(II)-congo red had efficiencies of 8.17%, 6.13% and 2.65%, respectively. This research also discusses the effect of metal ions on the ability of congo red to capture energy from sunlight.