Plasmonic effect of silver nanoparticles intercalated into mesoporous betalain-sensitized-TiO2 film electrodes on photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) comprising mesoporous TiO2 films and betalain pigments extracted from red Bougainvillea glabra flower as natural dye sensitizers were fabricated and enhanced by the intercalation of the plasmonic silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) into the pores of mesoporous TiO2 electrodes by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The TiO2/Ag NPs composite films were characterized by SEM and UV–Vis spectroscopy. I–V characteristics of the devices were measured by solar simulator (AM1.5 at 100 mW/cm2). The incorporation of the Ag nanoparticles into the pores of mesoporous TiO2 electrodes with one SILAR deposition cycle of the Ag NPs produced the best plasmonic enhanced-DSSC giving a short-circuit current density (Jsc), fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.01 mA cm−2, 0.77, and 0.27 %, respectively. This development amounts to 50 % efficiency enhancement over the reference DSSC that had a short-circuit current density (Jsc), fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.7 mA cm−2, 0.57, and 0.18 %, respectively. © 2016, The Author(s).