PUNICA GRANATUM DYE BASED PHOTOGALVANIC CELL FOR SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION AND ELECTRICAL STORAGE USING FRUCTOSE AND TWEEN 80

The present investigation focuses on the development of a photogalvanic solar cell employing natural dye extracted from Punica granatum along with fructose and Tween 80 in alkaline medium for simultaneous solar energy conversion and storage. The prepared photogalvanic system exhibited significant enhancement in electrical output under artificial illumination of 10.4 mW cm-2. The fabricated cell produced an open circuit voltage of 969 mV and a short circuit current of 928 UA. Maximum power output of 119.52 UW was observed at the power point conditions of 498 mV and 240 UA. The conversion efficiency and fill factor of the cell were calculated as 1.1492% and 0.1184 respectively. The system also demonstrated appreciable storage capability with a half decay time of 165 minutes in dark conditions. The influence of fructose concentration, Tween 80 concentration, pH, electrode area, diffusion length and light intensity on cell performance has been systematically examined. The study indicates that naturally available dye sensitizers can be effectively utilized for low-cost and environmentally sustainable photogalvanic energy devices.