Abstract
To produce a better connection and greater electron transfer efficiency between the TiO2 particles, as well as to eliminate agglomeration and increase the dispersion of TiO2 powders, a silicon dioxide/titanium dioxide (SiO2/TiO2) nanocomposite has been used as a photoanode in this study. An attempt was made to construct dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) at a low cost with reasonable efficiency by replacing the highly costly platinum counter electrode with polypyrrole/sodium dodecyl sulfate (PPy + SDS) as Counter Electrode 1 (C1) and PPy/SDS/multiwalled carbon nanotube (PPy + SDS + MWCNT) as Counter Electrode 2 (C2), using Ru‐based dyes Z907, pomegranate (Pom) dye, arugula (Aru) dye, and hibiscus dye as photosensitizers. The working electrode composite was deposited on fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) glass using a thermal chemical spraying approach, while the counter electrodes were produced using an electropolymerization method. The structural and optical characteristics are fully examined using several characterization techniques such as X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman scattering, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The photovoltaic properties of the constructed DSSCs were assessed under light irradiation (100 mW/cm2). When compared to the reference cell based on the Pt counter electrode, which has an efficiency of 8.4%, the measured current–voltage (I–V) curve shows that the efficiency of DSSC in the case of Z907 dye with C1 and C2 was 3.037% and 3.743%, respectively. This suggests that the low‐cost prepared DSSCs have good efficiency. Natural dyes show an efficiency range of 1.317%–0.66%, which indicates a moderate level of sensitivity.