This work reports an optical and photoelectrochemical study on the use of not edible parts of eggplant in a photovoltaic device. In this paper we employ, for the first time, the leaves and the bark of eggplant twigs, as pigment sources for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We compared and discussed both the absorption spectra of two natural extracts and photovoltaic performances in DSSCs. We also compared, for a similar natural sensitizer, our electrolyte respect to several electrolytes reported in literature. Solar power conversion (eta = 1%) and the short circuit current density (Jsc = 8 mA/cm(2)) achieved by studied devices are higher of 27% and 110% respectively, than literature data, so far reported. Furthermore, we demonstrated, by a thermodynamic study, thermal stability up to 125 degrees C of the eggplant extract, when anchored to TiO2 layer, and finally we presented some stability tests, under solar irradiation, of the DSSCs based on this natural extract.
Absorption spectra, thermal analysis, photoelectrochemical characterization and stability test of vegetable-based dye-sensitized solar cells
Calogero Giuseppe;Spinella Giuseppe;Bartolotta Antonino;Di Marco Gaetano
2019
Abstract
This work reports an optical and photoelectrochemical study on the use of not edible parts of eggplant in a photovoltaic device. In this paper we employ, for the first time, the leaves and the bark of eggplant twigs, as pigment sources for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We compared and discussed both the absorption spectra of two natural extracts and photovoltaic performances in DSSCs. We also compared, for a similar natural sensitizer, our electrolyte respect to several electrolytes reported in literature. Solar power conversion (eta = 1%) and the short circuit current density (Jsc = 8 mA/cm(2)) achieved by studied devices are higher of 27% and 110% respectively, than literature data, so far reported. Furthermore, we demonstrated, by a thermodynamic study, thermal stability up to 125 degrees C of the eggplant extract, when anchored to TiO2 layer, and finally we presented some stability tests, under solar irradiation, of the DSSCs based on this natural extract.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.