Coactive impact of a novel multifunctional alum co-adsorbent for dye-sensitized solar cells DSSC

[Display omitted] •Flocculation agent alum is used as novel multifunctional co-adsorbent in DSSCs.•Alum dissolution increased acidity and carboxyl group (COOH) of dye sensitizer.•Alum as a flocculation agent purified the dye sensitizer solution to create floc.•Alum increased the capacity and concentration of dye adsorbed to photoelectrode.•Alum multifunctional impacts improved the co-adsorbed cells to 0.58% efficiency. This study investigates how utilizing an environmentally friendly alum dye co-adsorbent impacts the overall performances of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Various alum concentrations were added to anthocyanin-based blackberry dye solutions during the 24-hour dye immersion process. It was discovered that the alum dissolution process increased acidity, intensified the amount of hydroxyl group, and improved TiO2/dye interconnection through the effect of the Al(OH)3 mediator. As an added benefit, alum improved the purity of the dye solution by flocculating the crude impurities apart. Due to these multifunctional features, the photocurrent density (JSC) and the overall power conversion efficiency of the 6-ATDS cell have increased to 9.48 mA/cm−2 and 0.58%, respectively.