Green-Synthesized Ag/TiO_₂ Nanocomposite Photoanodes Using Glyricidia sepium Extract for Enhanced Charge Transport in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

This study effectively demonstrated the use of Gliricidia sepium (G. sepium) leaf extract in the formation and characterization of a green-synthesized silver/titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO۲) nanocomposite, as well as its use as an enhanced photoanode material in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The production of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was established by UV-Vi’s spectra of the plasmon resonance band, which was detected at around ۴۲۰ nm. Due to the incorporation of the nanoparticles with TiO۲, the energy gap clearly decreased. The functional groups and their probable contribution to the formation of the nanoparticles and nanocomposite were identified by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) investigations. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) studies revealed that the produced nanoparticles and nanocomposite had average crystallite sizes of ۳.۶۹ nm and ۴.۰۴ nm, respectively. Spherical, smoother, and more uniform particles were visible in the synthesized nanocomposite's Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image. The TiO۲ nanocomposite's Energy Dispersive Spectra (EDS) confirmed the existence of Ag and other constituent elements. The creation of nanoparticles and nanocomposite with average particle sizes of ۴.۱۴ nm and ۵.۳۹ nm was further confirmed by the evaluation of the particles’ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) micrographs. The conductivity of the TiO۲ photoanode was improved by ۷۳.۱۱% after the inclusion of the AgNPs, leading to promising electrical characteristics that indicate its suitability in DSSCs.

Keywords:

Nanostructured photoanode , Enhanced electrical conductivity , Ag/TiO۲ nanocomposite , Dye-sensitized solar cell , Gliricidia septum