The 14th Global Conference on Materials Science and Engineering
(CMSE 2025)

Abstract: A new dye-sensitized photovoltaic solar cell based on Nd₂Ru₂O₇ (NRO) pyrochlore was elaborated in the new stack materials Glass/FTO/TiO₂/Nd₂Ru₂O₇/hibiscus/Pt/FTO/Glass configuration and was characterized. Nd₂Ru₂O₇ pyrochlore oxide was elaborated as mesoporous nanoparticles dispersed in dimethylformamide (DMF) and deposited via spin coating onto the compact TiO₂ compact layer previously deposited on FTO-coated glass substrate. Hibiscus sabdariffa was used as absorbent dye on the NRO photoanode. The optical properties of the films showed highly performance of ~ 70% absorbance and a transmittance below ~ 50%. Dye-impregnated photoanodes have a high absorbance that covers the visible-IR spectral range (360 nm –1000 nm). These assembled photoanode materials give an open-circuit voltage Voc of 2.86 V. The efficiency of the natural dye solar cell (DSSC-N) with the new NRO photoanode increased by a factor of 1.35 compared with the simple TiO2 based solar cell reported in the literature. In this study, we present a novel configuration employing a natural dye extracted from hibiscus sabdariffa petals (from west Africa), integrated within a multilayered structure of FTO/TiO₂/Nd₂Ru₂O₇. Remarkably, our investigation has yielded a significant breakthrough, achieving an impressive energy conversion efficiency of 10.24%. Our study not only contributes to the fundamental understanding of DSSCs but also holds significant implications for practical applications in renewable energy technologies. Through a comprehensive analysis encompassing fabrication processes, characterization techniques, and performance evaluations, we provide valuable insights into the potential of our innovative solar cell design to address pressing energy challenges in the twenty-first century. Importantly, all these findings are original, showcasing the effectiveness of our novel approach for enhancing the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.

Biography: Professor Yaovi GAGOU, born in 1970 in Togo, earned a Master’s degree in Solid State Physics from the University of Lomé in 1998. He continued his studies in France at the University of Franche-Comté (Besançon), obtaining a DEA in Materials Science, Mechanics, and Surface Mechanics. In 2002, he completed a PhD in Condensed Matter Physics at the University of South Toulon-Var under the supervision of Prof. P. Saint-Grégoire. Since 2003, he has been a researcher at the Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics (LPMC), University of Picardy Jules Verne (UPJV), focusing on multiferroic oxides (Perovskite, Aurivillius, tungsten bronze, etc.) in ceramics, thin films, and superlattices for memory, energy storage, electrocaloric, and photovoltaic applications. He obtained his Habilitation to Supervise Research (HDR) in 2012 and was promoted to Professor in 2020. A specialist in electrical and magnetic characterization, Prof. GAGOU has co-authored over 142 scientific publications (including 122 articles, 1 book, 1 book chapter, and 8 conference proceedings), has been an invited speaker at numerous international conferences, and has received over 1,646 citations with an h-index of 22 (ResearchGate).