Synthesis of Bi-doped titanium oxide by chemical bath deposition for dye synthesized solar cell application

[Display omitted] •Bismuth doped TiO2 thin films have been prepared by Chemical Bath Deposition technique.•Coatings of Bismuth doped TiO2 thin films are used for Dye Sensitized Solar Cell.•Deposited thin films have been characterized by various characterization techniques.•The deposited film shows power conversion efficiency of 0.37 %. This study investigates the effect of different doping percentages of the Bismuth in TiO2 nanocrystals on structural, morphological, and optical properties. The Bi-Doped titanium oxide was prepared by CBD method followed by sensitization by using natural dye (strawberry ink) and used for solar cell application. The structure analysis was carried out by using XRD technique and it reveals the presence of amorphous Rutile phase. The UV–Vis spectrum shows that at 0.25 to 1 % of Bi doping in TiO2 the band gap of titanium oxide decreases from 2.8 to 3.52 eV, and the variable band gap is more suitable for solar cell application because it can absorb large span of solar spectrum. The morphological analysis was carried out by using a SEM it shows the presence of Aeluropus logophiles (small petal) like morphology. The surface roughness is studied by the AFM. The elemental composition is confirmed by using EDS and XPS analysis technique. The maximum efficiency is observed for the 1% Bi-doped Titanium trioxide which is 0.37 %.