Solvent selection for anthrocyanin dye extraction from Kigelia Africana and Hibiscus sabdariffa for dye sensitized solar cells

The main flavonoid pigment in the petals of Kigelia Africana and the calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa is anthocyanin, responsible for the vibrant red, maroon, and purple hues in flowers. This pigment can modulate incident light on flowers, prompting its selection for detailed investigation. TiO2 nanostr...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: T. Satish Kumar, S. Shalini, T. Anurag Roy, S. Prasanna, R. Balasundaraprabhu, Senthilarasu Sundaram
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-04-01
Series:Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666469024000083
Description
Summary:The main flavonoid pigment in the petals of Kigelia Africana and the calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa is anthocyanin, responsible for the vibrant red, maroon, and purple hues in flowers. This pigment can modulate incident light on flowers, prompting its selection for detailed investigation. TiO2 nanostructures were synthesized using a one-step hydrothermal method, revealing the formation of nanorods and a single-phase rutile structure through FESEM and XRD analyses, respectively. The study aimed to assess the impact of various solvents on the extraction of natural dyes, which were subsequently sensitized on TiO2 photoanodes for DSSC applications. Four solvents-water, water with HCl, ethanol, and citric acid were employed to extract natural dyes from Kigelia Africana's petals and Hibiscus sabdariffa's calyx. Notably, dyes extracted with citric acid demonstrated promising results. The conversion efficiency of DSSCs fabricated with Kigelia Africana dye and Hibiscus sabdariffa dye, extracted using citric acid as the solvent, was found to be 0.87 % and 0.92 %, respectively. The implications of these findings are discussed.
ISSN:2666-4690