Photoelectric Characterization of a Dye-sensitized Solar Cell Based on Natural Pigment Extracted from Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) Flower and TiO2 Nanoparticles

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was fabricated using natural dye extracted from Roselle flower. The sensitization performance related to interaction between the dye and titanium dioxide (TiO2) surface was evaluated under 100 mWcm-2 light intensity. The DSSC based on the Hibiscus sabdariffa organic dye gave a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 0.0259 mAcm-2, open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.432 V and fill factor (FF) of 0.594, yielding an overall solar conversion efficiency (η) of 0.0067%. The result obtained shows some improvement over similar studies carried out by Adenike et al. [1] with lower efficiency of 0.002%. The improved performance might be attributed to the differences in concentrations of phytoconstituents in different parts of the plant and also the type of solvent used to extract the sensitizer.