Edinburgh Napier University

  This study explores the usage of novel oyster mushroom dyes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as photosensitizer to substitute the costly chemical dyes with a more eco-friendly, natural alternatives. Utilization of oyster mushroom dye as a natural dye for DSSC is due to their large biomass yield and the fact that they can be cultivated in a regulated environment. Dye from pink oyster mushroom was extracted and dried using freeze-drying methods. Characterization involved I-V measurements for electrical properties, UV-Vis spectrophotometry for optical analysis, and testing using solar simulator for current density-voltage (J-V) characterization. Freeze-dried pink mushroom dyes showed optimal properties for DSSCs, with energy bandgaps of between 1.71 and 2.14 eV The fabricated DSSC performance was determined using a solar simulator, and the fabricated DSSC device exhibited an efficiency of 0.107%.