Materials · Energy Materials
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell
Intermediate 3 weeks 15-25 hours
Build dye-sensitized solar cells with titanium dioxide and fruit dyes, then measure voltage, current, and efficiency for each dye.
Major
Materials
Focus area
Energy Materials
Total hours
15-25 hours
What you'll need
- dye sensitized solar cell kit with FTO glass
- digital multimeter
- INA219 DC current voltage power monitor sensor module
- Arduino Uno R3 ATmega328P microcontroller board
- binder clips
- potentiometer assortment
Shop the parts on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Steps
- Coat the conductive glass with titanium dioxide and bake it following the kit directions.
- Soak slides in different dyes, like blackberry, hibiscus, and raspberry.
- Assemble each cell with electrolyte and a graphite-coated counter electrode.
- Measure open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current in sunlight.
- Sweep a variable load to build an I-V curve and calculate efficiency.
- Compare dyes and document the cells for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Cell assembly
- dye comparison
- I-V curve
- efficiency results
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Fabricated [X] dye-sensitized solar cells and compared performance across [X] natural dyes
Measured I-V curves and calculated a peak efficiency of [X]%
Quantified results with [insert your result, such as hardness change, strength, efficiency, or error vs published values] and summarized findings in a technical report
Skills you'll show off
Energy materialsthin film fabricationelectrical testingI-V characterizationdata analysis