Effect of Gel Electrolyte, Paste and Electrode on the Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell using Schiff Base Dye Compound

The low cost and ease of production have led to widespread adoption of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Therefore, this study aims to synthesize Schiff base compounds from salicylaldehyde and ethylenediamine as a sensitizer in DSSC. The Shiff base compound was synthesized using the condensation method with mol ratio of 1:1 and the results showed yellow crystals with a yield of 81.14%. Furthermore, the UV-Vis spectrometer analysis showed that the Schiff base compound has bathochromic shift with a maximum wavelength change from 324 and 328 nm to 335 nm with transition n→π, while the IR spectrum at wavenumber of 1610 cm-1 indicated the presence of an azomethine group (–C=N–). The TG-DTA analysis showed a mass loss stage of the Schiff base molecule at 97.2% in the temperature range of 180-300 ºC. Based on UV-Vis, IR and TG-DTA data, the synthesized Schiff base has the potential to be used as a sensitizer in DSSC. The fabrication was then carried out using two variations of semiconductor namely TiO2 and ZnO, three variations of PEG gel electrolyte with 0.05 M, 0.1 M and 0.15 M, as well as three counter electrodes including graphite from a pencil, candle flame and a combination of both. Based on the results, DSSC based on TiO2 semiconductor with 0.15 M PEG gel electrolyte and candle flame counter electrode produced the highest efficiency of 0.29 % with maximum voltage (Vmax) of 370 mV and maximum current strength (Imax) of 0.8 mA.