Katie Herbert

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Jiang, Lin

Area of Concentration

Natural Sciences

Abstract

Traditional methods of solar energy are expensive and inaccessible for many people, especially in times of such economic disparity. Natural dye-sensitized solar cells may provide a solution to this due to their low-cost, accessibility and simple fabrication methods. This form of energy remains in preindustrial phases due to low efficiency and rapid degradation of the dye. This thesis proposes that by fine tuning pigment interactions, both through intentional selection of compounds present and purification by thin layer chromatography, efficiencies in dye-sensitized solar cells can be enhanced. In crude dye samples of anthocyanin containing dyes, efficiencies increased slightly with the addition of the keto-carotenoid astaxanthin. To further examine this, dyes extracted from D. regia and astaxanthin were purified through Thin Layer Chromatography and tested for efficiency. The highest efficiencies were found in the bottom fraction of D. regia (ɳ%=0.79±0.10) and the combination of the anthocyanin containing fraction of D. regia with the monoester fraction of astaxanthin (ɳ%=0.91±0.08). The crude counterparts showed efficiencies of ɳ%=0.52±0.15 and ɳ%=0.64±0.18, respectively. This suggests that choosing specific compounds for dye alteration as opposed to dyes in their crude form may enhance solar cell efficiency.

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