Natural dye (chlorophyll, anthocyanin, carotenoid, flavonoid) photosensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cell: A review

Abstract

For many years, dye-sensitized sunlight cells (DSSC), which are feasible and have significant potential to harvest and convert light into renewable energy, have been the subject of serious research. DSSC is a great alternative for low-cost solar panels due to its simplicity in fabrication and acceptable efficiency. While synthetic dyes can produce higher efficiency, their production costs and complexity in synthesizing toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment, people, and the environment present another problem. Therefore, several studies have focused on natural dyes extracted from plants (chlorophyll-anthocyanin, flavonoid and carotenoid) because of their advantages such as high absorption, low cost, no toxicity, eco-friendly and easy extraction. This review also highlights the development of dye-sensitized sun cells by using natural dyes as photosensitizers.