The use of xylenol orange in a dye-sensitized solar cell

Xylenol orange (3,3′-bis[N,N-di(carboxymethyl)aminomethyl]-o-cresolsulfonephthalein), which is a water-soluble dye of the triphenylmethane group, was tested for a dye-sensitized solar cell. The observed short-circuit current (2.2mAcm−2) was compared with the theoretical value (3.8mAcm−2) which was estimated from the radiation spectrum of light source and the absorption spectrum of adsorbed dye on TiO2. The overall energy efficiency was 1.3%. The addition of 0.5M water in the electrolyte did not show a bad effect. A molecule of xylenol orange occupied 1.48nm2 of the TiO2 surface. The roughness factor of the utilized TiO2 electrode was 630.