Comparative Study of the Incorporation of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles into N-719 Dye on the Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) Hawinda Restu Putri(a), Hilarius Donatus Hun(a), Setiya Rahayu(a), Herman(a), Priastuti Wulandari(a*)
a) Physics of Magnetism and Photonics Research Division, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha 10 Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
*pwulandari[at]itb.ac.id
Abstract
The Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) is a promising third-generation solar cell technology with many advantages. Recent strategies to improve DSSC efficiency include incorporating metal nanoparticles into the dye. This research aims to compare the incorporation of gold and silver nanoparticles capped with 3-Mercaptopropionic Acid (AuMPA or AgMPA) into N-719 dye in order to enhance DSSC performance. Metal nanoparticles exhibit a unique optical property called Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR), which maximize light absorption. In our experiment, AuMPA and AgMPA were prepared using the chemical reduction method, then incorporated into the dye solution before the TiO2 photoanode was immersed and the DSSC assembled. Optical characterization, including absorbance and photoluminescence spectra, shows a blue shift in the spectral position and an overlap between the intrinsic peak of N-719 and the plasmonic peak of AuMPA or AgMPA, indicating a stable nanoparticle dispersion within the dye matrix. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results confirm chemical interaction through changes in the S-H and -COOH vibrations. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observation reveal the presence and growth of AuMPA and AgMPA nanoparticles within the mesoporous TiO2 layer. The addition of AuMPA into the dye solution increases the PCE of the device from 3.32% to 4.19%, while AgMPA yielded a PCE of 3.76%. Enhancement of our DSSC performance is attributed to the LSPR effect, which enhances light absorption and charge transport. The better performance by additition of AuMPA into dye is attributed to a high substantial plasmonic effect and stability, while AgMPA tends to aggregate, limiting its effectiveness.
Keywords: dye-sensitized solar cell-gold nanoparticles- silver nanoparticles- dye N-719
