Optical Properties of Grätzel Cells Based on Delphinidin with Silicon Carbide Nanoparticles

Properties of a delphinidin complex with silicon carbide nanoparticles have been studied by optical methods. Electron microscopy data have been used to determine the phase composition of silicon carbide samples. A comparative analysis of the absorption spectra of solutions of delphinidin and delphinidin with silicon carbide nanoparticles has shown a marked increase in light absorption in the presence of the nanoparticles. The observed large increase in absorbance attests to a considerable adsorption of delphinidin molecules on the surface of silicon carbide nanoparticles. Combining delphinidin with silicon carbide nanoparticles improves the performance of Grätzel cells compared to the sensitizer without nanoparticles. The addition of silicon carbide nanoparticles to the dye increases the power and efficiency of the Grätzel cell.