Fabrication of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Native and Non-Native Nanocrystals in Ferritin as the Dye

Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of different nanocrystals synthesized in ferritin to act as light harvesters for high-efficiency solar cells. This study investigates the possibility of using these nanocrystals as alternative dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells. Four different dye-sensitized solar cells were successfully fabricated using iron, cobalt, manganese, and lead-sulfide nanocrystals within ferritin as the dye. The efficiencies obtained were 0.06%, 0.14%, 0.25%, and 0.26%, respectively. These results show that ferritin minerals can indeed act as solar-harvesting substrates and helped us understand how this technology would need to be investigated to make them more practical and efficient.