Vol.24, N°6 (2024) - Article 7
Optimization of NdRuO3 perovskite based photoanodes to improve the efficiency of natural dye solar cells
The West African region is renowned for its plethora of plant species harboring natural pigments that exhibit remarkable resistance to temperature fluctuations. Among these, Baphia nitida (commonly known as camwood) stands out, boasting anthocyanin and coumarin pigments that defy degradation. Abundant in Côte d'Ivoire, the utilization of this plant promises not only to enhance the efficacy of our newly developed perovskites but also to streamline production costs owing to its widespread availability. This article delves into the optimization of material performance and solar architecture through numerical simulation. For the first time, we introduce oxide perovskite neodymium ruthenate (NdRuO3) as an electron transport layer (ETL) in conjunction with a natural dye, 3,3-methylene-bis (4-hydroxycoumarin). Moreover, we are exploring the replacement of the I-/I3- redox electrolyte with a Spiro-OmeTAD hole transport layer (HTL) to address stability concerns in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The simulated device (FTO/NdRuO3/bis-coumarin/Spiro-OmeTAD/Au) is configured in a planar p-i-n architecture, allowing for a meticulous examination of parameter variations such as operating temperature, NdRuO3 photoanode thickness, and defect density on cell performance. Remarkably, we achieved an efficiency (η) of 19.61 % with a NdRuO3 photoanode thickness of 0.5µm2, an open circuit voltage of 158.26 mV, a short-circuit current (Jsc) of 14.71 mA/cm², and a fill factor (FF) of 84.19 %. Exploring the thickness variation of the inorganic perovskite structure (NdRuO3) while maintaining the initial parameters of other materials yielded a groundbreaking efficiency of 20.73 % for a thickness of 2 µm. However, this was accompanied by a decrease in the fill factor (FF) to 83.53 %, indicating a lower quality of the simulated DSSC cell.