Evaluation of Avocado Peels Dye as Sensitizer in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells by Experiment and Computational Intelligence

Authors

  • Ekemini Ituen Computational Materials Science Group, TETFund Centre of Excellence in Computational Intelligence, University of Uyo, Nigeria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6029-523X
  • Iniubong Okon Computational Materials Science Group, TETFund Centre of Excellence in Computational Intelligence, University of Uyo, Nigeria
  • Solomon Shaibu Department of Chemistry, University of Uyo, Nigeria
  • Anietie Donald Department of Chemistry, University of Uyo, Nigeria
  • Samuel Samuel Department of Chemistry, University of Uyo, Nigeria
  • Udoinyang Inyang Computational Materials Science Group, TETFund Centre of Excellence in Computational Intelligence, University of Uyo, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37256/aecm.5120243743

Keywords:

nanoparticles, renewable energy, sensitizer, solar cells

Abstract

This work was designed to evaluate the unmodified and modified natural dye obtained from a sensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells using experimental and computational approaches. Natural dye (APPE) was extracted from Avocado pear (Persea Americana) peels and chemically modified into nanocomposite by a one-pot reaction with silver nitrate. The modified dye was characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The APPE and APPE-AgNPs composite show maximum wavelength of light absorption at 542 nm and 493 nm respectively. Both APPE and APPE-AgNPs were evaluated as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The APPE-AgNPs dye afforded a higher power conversion efficiency of 0.93% compared to 0.44% for APPE. Current-voltage responses and photo-electrochemical properties were determined at one sun illumination. The electronic properties of the major phyto-compounds in the dye, namely perseorangin and cyanidin associated with light harvesting and sensitization were modeled using a quantum chemical computational approach. The power conversion efficiency of APPE-AgNPs obtained from this study compares with other plant-based dye sensitizers and hence could be deployed for practical application.

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Published

2023-12-04

How to Cite

1.
Ekemini Ituen, Iniubong Okon, Solomon Shaibu, Anietie Donald, Samuel Samuel, Udoinyang Inyang. Evaluation of Avocado Peels Dye as Sensitizer in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells by Experiment and Computational Intelligence. Advanced Energy Conversion Materials [Internet]. 2023 Dec. 4 [cited 2024 Dec. 10];5(1):21-30. Available from: https://ojs.wiserpub.com/index.php/AECM/article/view/3743