Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employing bioactive materials have emerged as a pivotal solution to the ever-increasing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly energy generation in the photovoltaic sector. In the present work, we investigate the utilization of Conkerberry (CB) extract as a sensitizer in conjunction with two different electrolytes for DSSCs: CB1 employing potassium iodide and CB2 utilizing lithium iodide as the respective electrolytes. The optical and functional analysis of the CB dye confirmed the presence of anthocyanin. Morphological and compositional analyses assessed the structural characteristics, porosity and uniformity of bare and CB-loaded TiO2 films. The evaluation of current conversion efficiency revealed a significant difference between CB1 and CB2 devices. CB2 achieved a remarkable efficiency of 2.24%, a 1.42-fold enhancement over CB1, with a Jsc of 5.47 mA cm?2, Voc of 0.729 V, and a FF of 48%. Furthermore, in terms of stability, CB2 exhibited a slower rate of degradation, making it 1.6 times more stable than CB1. This remarkable advancement positions CB2 as a promising candidate for future solar energy conversion applications, surpassing many existing bioactive material-based DSSCs and signifies a notable step forward in the development of efficient and environmentally sustainable solar energy technologies. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature 2024.