%0 Journal Article
%T Photoelectric Characterization of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Using Natural Dye from Pawpaw Leaf and Flame Tree Flower as Sensitizers
%A Mohammed Isah Kimpa
%A Musa Momoh
%A Kasim Uthman Isah
%A Hassan Nawawi Yahya
%A Muhammed Muhammed Ndamitso
%J Materials Sciences and Applications
%P 281-286
%@ 2153-1188
%D 2012
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/msa.2012.35041
%X Natural dyes from flame tree flower, Pawpaw leaf and their mixtures were used as sensitizers to fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The photoelectrochemical performance of the Flame tree flower dye extract showed an open-circuit voltage (V<sub>OC</sub>) of 0.50 V, short-circuit current density (J<sub>SC</sub>) of 0.668 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>, a fill factor (FF) of 0.588 and a conversion efficiency of 0.20%. The conversion efficiency of the DSSCs prepared by pawpaw leaf extract was 0.20%, with V<sub>OC</sub> of 0.50 V; short-circuit current density, J<sub>SC</sub> of 0.649 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> and FF of 0.605. The conversion efficiency for the flame tree flower and pawpaw leaf dye mixture was 0.27%, with V<sub>OC</sub> of 0.518 V, J<sub>SC</sub> of 0.744 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> and FF of 0.69. Although the conversion efficiencies, Jsc and the Voc of the prepared dye cells were lower than the respective 1.185%, 7.49 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> and 0.64V reported for ruthenium, their fill factors (FF) were higher than that of ruthenium (0.497). It was also observed that both the short-circuit current density and the fill factors of the cells were enhanced using mixed dye.
%K Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
%K Flame Tree Flower
%K Pawpaw Leaf
%K Dye Cocktails
%K Natural Dyes
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=19196