Co-Sensitized DSSC with Natural Dyes Extracted from Beetroot, Pomegranate and Cranberry †

Abstract

The aim of this study is to boost the power conversion efficiency of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) by using the co-sensitization strategy with appropriate natural dyes extracted from pomegranate, beetroot and cranberry. The fabricated DSSCs were evaluated using current–voltage characteristics and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The co-sensitized DSSC with beetroot and cranberry showed higher short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency than their individual dye-based DSSCs. This improvement in the performance is due to the lower aggregation of the dyes, broader absorption in the visible region and lower value of impedance. However, co-sensitized DSSCs of pomegranate with beetroot and cranberry did not show any improvement in performance.