Fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells based on the electrospun TiO2nanofibres sensitized by the cocktail of natural dyes

Here, we demonstrated that outstanding electrical and morphological characteristics of TiO2 nanofibressensitized by the cocktail of natural dyes can effectively improve and stabilize the dye-sensitized solarcells (DSSCs). The TiO2 nanofibres were fabricated using a cost-effective and applicable electrospinningtechnique. The FESEM results demonstrated that the continuous bead-free nanofibres were successfullyfabricated, which indicates good control of the electrospinning conditions. Based on the BET results, thetransformation of nanoparticles to nanofibres increased the BET surface area and pore size. Then, a facileone-step approach was employed to fabricate TiO2 nanofibres-based DSSCs that produced a highly porousnetwork of TiO2 without the nanofibre layer undergoing multiple cracks upon calcination. Based on thephotovoltaic results, the DSSCs fabricated by the electrospun TiO2 nanofibres showed the highest 𝐼𝑠𝑐 , 𝑉𝑜𝑐 ,and 𝜂 of 1.80 mA, 0.40 V, and 1.24%, respectively. This is because that the one-dimensional morphologyof electrospun nanofibres provides better charge conduction due to the combined effect of the reducedgrain boundaries and a higher specific surface area. The results also showed that the DSSC based on theTiO2 nanofibres retained about 63% of its initial efficiency after 14 days, while DSSCs based on the TiO2nanoparticles maintained about 27%, respectively.

Fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells based on the electrospun TiO2nanofibres sensitized by the cocktail of natural dyes Keywords:

electrospinning , TiO2 nanofibre , solar cell , natural dyes.