Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles by Citrus Limon as an Effective Photoanode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

ZnO nanoparticles are prepared with lime juice by the green, facile solution combustion method and act as a photoanode for DSSC fabrication. The structural and morphological features of ZnO nanoparticles are examined via XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, DLS, and SEM. The XRD detects defect-free wurtzite hexagonal structure with a crystallite size ~16.28 nm. SEM image reveals a spherical morphology with a uniform spreading of ZnO nanoparticles (~45 nm). UV–Vis analysis exhibited high absorbance in the UV (~200 to 400 nm) and vital transparency in visible region (~400 to 600 nm). The band gap (3.07 eV) is estimated and is blue-shift and associated with the bulk of the ZnO (3.37 eV) because of the impact of quantum confinement. The doctor blade approach is adopted to prepare photoanode. ZnO-based DSSC is constructed, wherein Pt is the counter electrode, with an iodine redox couple as the electrolyte and N719 dye utilized as a sensitizer. Photovoltaic performance (Voc, Jsc, η, and FF) of the fabricated FTO/ZnO-N719 dye/iodide redox coupled electrolyte/Pt/FTO device is studied. The maximum (PCE) η 3.7447% is achieved with a maximum Voc ~0.734 mV, Jsc ~9.768 mA/cm2, and FF ~0.5223. Hence, synthesized ZnO nanoparticles may be an excellent photoanode material for DSSC application.