Electrical and Optical Characterization of Photo anode and Metal Free Counter Electrode

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have emerged as the most economical source for generating electricity with the least amount of pollution. In this work, we have used the dye N3, having its absorption spectra lie in a broad absorption range. A metal free graphite-coated FTO and iodide/tri-iodide were used as low-cost electrodes and electrolytes, respectively. This electrolyte helps regenerate the oxidized dye. TiO
2
, a semiconductor with a wide band gap that has been employed in DSSCs, has been deposited using the doctor blade method. The electrical characterization of the device was performed using a solar simulator, and the best device delivered an efficiency of 4.50 %. The optical and morphological characterizations of dye and photo anode are done by using UV/Vis-NIR, PL, and FESEM.