A Study on the Performance of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Using Extract from Wrightia tinctoria R.Br. as Photosensitizers

In this study, eco-friendly natural dye sensitizers were extracted from the dried leaves of Wrightia tinctoria R.Br. (commonly known as “Pala indigo” or “Dyer’s oleander”) by cold methanolic and soxhlet extraction and used in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The acidification of the extracted pigments was carried out using 0.1 N HCl. The absorption characteristics were studied by UV–visible spectroscopy, and the functional groups were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. DSSCs constructed using these sensitizers were evaluated in terms of current density–voltage characteristics and electrochemical response. The DSSC fabricated with natural dye extracted by cold methanol exhibited maximum power conversion efficiency of 0.19%. The efficiency of the acidified cold methanolic extract-based DSSC was 0.06%.