SUMMARYDye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have become a topic of significant research in the last two decades because of their scientific importance in the area of energy conversion. Currently, DSSC is using inorganic ruthenium (Ru)-based, metal-free organic dyes, quantum-dot sensitizer, perovskite-based sensitizer, and natural dyes as sensitizer. The use of metal-free, quantum-dot sensitizer, perovskite-based sensitizer, and natural dyes has become a viable alternative to expensive and rare Ru-based dyes because of low cost, ease of preparation, easy attainability, and environmental friendliness. Most of the alternatives to Ru-based dyes have so far proved inferior to the Ru-based dyes because of their narrow absorption bands (Δλ ≈ 100-250 nm), adverse dye aggregation, and instability. This review highlights the recent research on sensitizers for DSSC, including ruthenium complexes, metal-free organic dyes, quantum-dot sensitizer, perovskite-based sensitizer, mordant dyes, and natural dyes. It also details and tabulates all types of sensitizer with their corresponding efficiencies. Plot of progress in efficiency (η) of DSSC till date based on different types of sensitizers is also presented.
Subject classification: 68.55.Jk; 68.55.Nq; 78.66.Li; S8.12 Copper indium diselenide thin films of different thicknesses were prepared by the chemical bath deposition technique onto well-cleaned glass substrates at room temperature. The thickness of the deposited films has been determined by gravimetry. The structural characterization was carried out by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic studies. These studies confirm the polycrystalline nature of the films with chalcopyrite structure. The structural parameters such as lattice constants, axial ratio, tetragonal distortion, crystallite size, dislocation density and number of crystallites per unit area have been evaluated. The composition of the various constituents in CuInSe 2 films has been determined by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The optical properties have been studied in detail in the wavelength range 4000-14500 A and the optical band gap has been found to be direct and allowed.
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