Perovskite-based solar cells fabricated from TiO2 nanoparticles hybridized with biomaterials from mollusc and diatoms.

Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) convert solar energy into electrical energy. Current study employs fabrication of PVSCs using calcium titanate (CaTiO3) prepared by co-precipitation TiO2 nanoparticle (NP) and CaCO3 NP synthesized from mollusc shell. Furthermore, frustules of diatom, Nitzschia palea were used to prepare silica doped CaTiO3 (Si-CaTiO3) nanocomposite. CaTiO3 NP and Si-CaTiO3 nanocomposites film was made on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass plate using spin coater separately for two different kinds of PVSCs tested at different intensities of light. The perovskite materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Thickness of the film was measured by profilometer. The maximum power density (PDmax) of CaTiO3 made PVSCs was 0.235 mW/m2 under white LED light and 0.041 mW/m2 in broad spectrum light. Whereas, PDmax of PVSCs with Si-CaTiO3 was higher about 0.0083 mW/m2 in broad spectrum light and was 0.0039 mW/m2 in white LED light. This is due to the fact that CaTiO3 allowed blue and red light in broad spectrum to pass through it without being absorbed compared to white LED light which gets reflected. On the offset, in PVSC made of Si-CaTiO3 since diatoms frustules are made up of nanoporous architecture it increases the overall porosity of PVSC making them potentially more efficient in broad spectrum of light compared to white LED light.