Potential Dye Suji Leaves (Pleomele angustifolia) Chlorophyll and Red Dragon Fruit Peel (Hylocereus polyrhizus) Anthocyanins as Natural Dyes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

In this study, the quality analysis of chlorophyll and anthocyanin extraction dyes from suji (Pleomele angustifolia) leaves and red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peel was extracted using ethanol as a natural dye for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Dye characterization was carried out using UV-visible spectrophotometry to determine the wavelength absorption and bandgap using the Tauc plot method, electrochemical characterization of dye was carried out using cyclic voltammetry. The efficiency of DSSC was measured using a digital multimeter. In this study, chlorophyll was produced with absorption wavelengths at 663 nm and 439 nm while anthocyanin dye was at a wavelength of 532 nm. The bandgap of chlorophyll was calculated to be 2.51 eV and that of anthocyanins to be 2.1 eV using the Tauc plot method.. The electrochemical results shows that chlorophyll dye of suji leaves has HOMO energy (highest occupied molecular orbital) at -5.68 eV and a LUMO energy (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) at -3.17 eV while anthocyanin has HOMO energy of -5.16 eV and a LUMO energy of -3.06 eV. The efficiency produced by DSSC with chlorophyll dye was 3.4163 × 10-3 % and anthocyanins were 6.3994 × 10-3 %. These results show that chlorophyll and anthocyanin dyes from suji leaves and red dragon fruit peel are promising reagents to be used as DSSC dyes.