Prickly Pear as a New Natural Dye for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) with Thin Films Composed of TiO2 / ZnO

Abstract

Today every country faces energy crises; so to overcome it, a number of solutions are given to progress towards solar energy which is rich and free to use. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) technology comes from the concept of “artificial photosynthesis”, attempting to replicate plants ability to convert solar energy into useful energy. It represents a totally new photovoltaic technology with great potential. DSSC has been considered as the best substitute for traditional silicon-based solar cells, for their compatibility with low-cost manufacture methods and the high indoor efficiency. Natural dyeing is of great importance in the field of solar energy, thanks to its modest production and low production cost. In this research, we investigated the performance of DSSCs using a natural dye extracted from the nopal as a sensitizer for the photoanode titanium oxide/zinc oxide. Surface morphology was calculated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X ray diffraction (XRD). Finally, the solar photovoltaic characterization of the solar cell was studied using the I–V characteristics.