Fabrication & performance analysis of mesoscopic dye sensitized solar cells

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are emerging as an effective alternative concept for inorganic solid-state photo- voltaic devices. The conversion efficiency of DSSC depends on the organic vegetable dye coated over the porous Titanium dioxide film. DSSCs use natural dyes and other raw materials which are economical and easily available. Thus proving to be a promising development to the photovoltaic technology by drastically scaling down the high cost of noble metal sand chemical synthesis. It has also scored a larger green points for being environment-friendly technology. Numerous kinds of dyes extracted from a variety of leaves, fruits, and flowers, have been tested as sensitizers. Though the use of natural pigments as sensitizer in DSSCs is what is attracting so much attention, the major disadvantage of these solar cells is also these natural dyes. The reason is that the photo-stability of the DSSC sensitizer material must be capable of undergoing many redox cycles without decomposition. The paper explores the use of different natural dye photosensitizers and evaluates the efficiency of DSSCs with these dyes.