Make a Solar Cell - TiO2/Raspberry based
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- Опубликовано: 6 июл 2024
- In this video we show how to make a dye sensitized solar cell based on titanium dioxide and anthocyanin found in raspberries.
First get some titanium dioxide (anatase structure), about 0.5g will do. Then mix it with drops of vinegar until it has the consistency of thin paint or liquid corrector fluid. Add a drop of dishwashing detergent. This is to make it stick to the glass.
Now get a piece of indium tin oxide glass. The indium tin oxide glass was purchased from delta technologies www.delta-technologies.com/
using a multimeter set to measure resistance, find the conductive side by measuring the resistance of the glass. The side that's conductive will have a much lower resistance than the non-conductive side.
Tape the glass on three sides onto a flat surface, conductive side up. there should be able 5mm of tape on each edge. The tape will serve as a spacer guide for the titanium dioxide.
Now using a glass rod, apply the titanium dioxide paint to the conductive of the indium tin oxide glass. Slide the rod across the tape so that it smears the paint evenly and smoothly across the glass. If the paint leaves streaks, you need to add more vinegar and try again. It should go on with a smooth coat.
Now let the slide dry on air. Then carefully peel off the tape and get the slide. Use a damp cloth to clean off any excess titanium dioxide that might have oozed around behind the slide or off the edges.
Place the slide, conductive side up, on a hot-plate and heat to 200+ celsius (preferably 550 celsius). The detergent and the vinegar will burn away and bake together the particles of titanium dioxide so that they stick to the glass. At first it will turn yellow and then turn light again as this happens. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.
As that happens, get some fresh raspberries (juice made from artificial flavoring cannot be used) and crush them.
Now get the cooled titanium dioxide slide and pour a few drops of the raspberry juice onto it. Be careful not to damage the titanium dioxide. Let it sit for a few minutes so the anthocyanin dyes absorb into the titanium dioxide.
Then carefully pour water and alcohol over the slide to wash away raspberry bits and other chemicals we don't need. Let the slide dry.
Take another indium tin oxide glass slide and pass the conductive side through a candle flame several times. This will build up a layer of soot that we need to catalyze the redox shuttle. Carefully wipe away the excess soot from the edges so that they match with the titanium dioxide from the slide.
Now we make the redox shuttle and electrolyte by mixing 127mg of iodine crystals with 830mg of potassium iodide and 10mL ethylene glycol. Mix thoroughly until completely dissolved.
Place a few drops of the redox shuttle and electrolyte onto the titanium dioxide and place over it the soot covered slide. The coated sides must be facing each other. Be sure to offset the slides so that you can access the conductive sides of both.
Bind the slides together using binder clips.
And that's done. the positive side is the soot covered slide, while the negative side is the titanium dioxide slide. Use alligator clips to contact the exposed sides.
The titanium dioxide (anatase type) and potassium iodide and iodine were purchased from Alfa Aesar. www.alfa.com 
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I'm about to spend my next two years investigating DSCs, and happened to remember an old NurdRage video about solar cells. Wouldn't you know it, it's the perfect introduction to the field! Thanks to your simple, experimental approach to chemistry, I have an excellent complement the information I find in my first articles. Many thanks from an long-standing fan! Keep up the good work!
its 3.32am i learnt how to grow potatoes in buckets, harvest marajuana and make solar cells. i am unemployed
a bit more research and you sir may have a hydroponics farm ;)
@aud_io 😭 I feel you man, but life's just so fucking pain in the arse...
Man, every time I see your video, my mind is just blown that you can do so many things with just regular stuff and without spending thousands on various chemicals. Keep up the good work :)
When you used the raspberries I quickly checked if this video was uploaded on 1 April lol... But when you explained how it worked, everything became clear as a daylight ....
I should've never known such thing is possible...
Thnx man you're awesome
when i first saw this about a year or two ago it looked like it was impossibly hard and complex, now that i've been working on my own projects it doesn't seem to be so crazy anymore.
I am interested to hear about your project, what did you find that is a better electrolyte than the one used in this video, also what semi-conductor did you use?
Edmund De Kock, I never actually did this myself I got a fiancee and that honestly is more complicated than anything I've ever done.
I seem to keep returning to this every year, it's about time I actually made it and started experimenting with it, it seriously sounds stimulating
I like science but I never found anyone passionate enough to teach science the way you do. Keep up the GREAT work :-) !!!!!!!!!!!!
Very well done! Every time I stop by your channel your videos have become more professional. Where's the ad though? You're losing some money. I've been having trouble with obscenely long delays in video approval myself.
This comment is a snapshot of a slice of youtube history, cool to see
@blueduderanch I *wasn't* referring to that, i was referring to the cell built in the video. How is saying my raspberry solar cell having a short lifetime is incorrect?
Awesome vid, Nurdrage. Its incredible how "simple" a solar cell can be made.
I cant believe iv never watched this, amazing..
@ginywiny I only made the weak version in the video, you can be the one that makes the powerful/cheap version that pwns silicon and makes BILLION$
I really like how you're teaching regular people the theory just in case someone might have an epiphany that changes the world and furthers technology. :D
honestly if schools could teach students with these examples in live testing then many students such as myself wouldnt have failed chemistry. i majored in physics but failed terribly in chemistry, my first year of high i never understood it and i dont know how guessing things would make me scrape and pass to move on to the second and third year of highschool, unfortunately in my forth year my luck ran out and i failed, it would have been fascinating to learn chemistry.i wish i can go back and learn it. that was a nice vid man,
+Adan Olivera Blame the teacher(s) not the generalized 'schools'. You could also blame yourslef, if you so choose, but that may also be unfair.
I agree, the education system is backwards on math and science. Practical applications should be taught first, followed by theory and formulas. When you see something work, it makes you curious how, and more receptive to the theory side. sitting students in a lecture hall for 6 months working formulas on paper is a complete waste, as no curiosity is generated, therefore the work seems like busywork with no point, and most students zone out.
I start my internship tomorrow,this what I’m going to make
Thanks"Nurd"for loving humanity and sharing this.
I showed this to my entire class with my teacher watching and they liked it! Great video mate :D
i have carried a research in DSSC and i used normal float glass since we do not have conductive glass in my country, and after some more new improvements i was able to make a cell of 1V and 0.2 A it is not still as good as the commercial cell but it was a great improvement. i hope to continue this research during my college time as well. If this technology is developed we can solve the power crisis over night.
Its great to have all the suggestions for improvements at the end. Thanks heaps for the video! Appreciate it!
I've never been very good at science, but it's so fascinating to watch your videos,they are also quite entertaining, you make science fun, I've never been able to find that in many other places, and it's kind of inspiring, but I am so accident prone I couldn't actually do any of this, but for you to show all the reactions and everything, it's awesome cause I can learn so much from you. thanks for posting so many interesting and awesome videos.
I love this. other youtubers do the experiment but never explain them except you! :)
My first reaction when you started crushing rasperrys I thought "You got to be kidding... I think he got the calendar wrong and thought it was April 1st..." -_-
But hey, it actuallty worked! Great video as usual!
I love your videos! I'm a grad student now (inorganic) and I love to watch. Keep it up!
i gotta tell u man im dumb as a brick and know nothing of chemistry but i am wildy entertained by your videos
@blueduderanch Those statements were in reference to the whole cell. i made no statement about cost or lifetime to the titanium dioxide.
You are the man, NurdRage!
Hey you're on now! Cool. Great job on this video...all the other ones too. One of these days, you're going to finally prod me into doing one of these experiments.
Your presentations are wonderful! It's a real shame that they don't teach 'you' in schools opposed to the current methods found in your typical chemistry classes. I speculate if they did, comprehension and let's not forget fun, enjoyment and desire would markedly improve.
i am very happy to be subscribed to you!
thank you very much for being here!!!
@Cickarn white paint usually also has lots of other components like binders, organic additives, solvents etc. thus the quality and reproducibility of the cell is not as good as if you made the paint yourself.
But if you do find a particular paint that does work as well as pure paint you made yourself, let me know. :)
i gotta tell u man im dumb as a beick and know nothing of chemistry but i am wildy entertained by your videos
hermoso... que dedicacion y tiempo invertido en todos estos videos. He aprendido mucho.
Thanks for the vids... still learning alot... Hope your channel is still available for my kids.
man this is at some way a sep furder thanx 4 ur videos from mexico
You are awesome.
Hey sir i subscribe your channel too..
@mouzmaster The detergent helps to spread the TiO2. Normally the TiO2 paste just beads up since the glass is hydrophobic. The detergent makes the paste stick so you can spread a thin layer of it without it pulling itself together into beads.
:)
Another great vid!
your channel reminds me of how much i miss chemistry. Gunna take ap chem next year becuse of this channel. thanks.
Lol, the motivation at the end tho! Nice. Sadly not my field of study in my undergrad thesis, but it could be for my grad thesis. Great work!
I love your videos!
love how you crushed your raspberry = ]
Wow, really interesting video, thanks for posting. Also thanks for explaining how it actually works too :)
Bravo.
I try it to make this cell in three years ago.
I got 0,525V.
I used the glass for thermopane windows (the windows have an oxide layer on one side - I think is silver oxide) called Low-E
For electrolit I used betadine.
You can put a paper layer, in the middle, where one side has pencil fill - and this side, with pencil, is over smoked glass.
Nice! I did the experiment myself some time ago (using hibiscus tea for the dye). I also did some efficiency measurements depending on temperature, area and lighting conditions. I got a meager 0,0002 (0,02%) when heated to 60°C. But it worked!
Btw NurdRage, be aware of the desk lamp you are using! I had the same model (from IKEA I think). The sliding contacts in the lower joints heated to almost 200°C (measured with an IR-thermometer after I saw the plastic melt away)
Hi NurdRage,
very well done.
I hope this will get many more people interested to play with this stuff...
The only thing that is very expensive is the ITO glas , but I think it is the
PN layer of this ITO surface versus the TIO2 that actually converts the sunlight into electricity. Thus you might need to find a cheaper semiconductor than ITO
coated glas that has about the same bandgap as ITO versus TiO2.
Many thanks for this instruction how to build it.
Regards, Stefan.
@jadenjak the dye is not expended during use, it decays because it's raspberries... and raspberries go bad eventually.
Just like a gas generator is not a battery, but it decays from rust eventually.
great video man
@spikespeigel Don't have to, the potassium triiodide redox shuttle automatically reduces it with the electrons that come through the back/counter electrode.
All laid out in the diagram (although i do acknowledged i went through it pretty quick).
Great Video!
im 14 and im in love with ur videos :D
Thanks so much for making this video it helped me come up with an IRP topic for this year. These cells are very cool! I would know now given that I researched them for hours. Also I found even more improvement then you listed at the end of your video. If anybody has any questions on how I made mine, how i got my materials, or about any research I did feel free to ask!
Hey. I know this is from 11 years ago, however I am writing a research report on these forms of solar cells, and your improvements would be greatly appreaciated! :D
Pretty Cool Stuff! Thanks
That is amazing! I think it's time for some experimentation...
:) Thankyou NurdRage!
great job you guy by the way loved your "making pennys gold thing!!!!
Thanks for your Videos Mr NurdRage
i will schow this video to my cemistry teatcher and hopewe wil do that in classs it looks verry fun ^^
Pretty inspirational, thanks for the video! :)
YESSSSS thanks for such a GREAT science vid
thanks for the knowledge man.
@Nighthawkinlight Thanks, As for the Ad, its there. maybe you have an ad-blocker or you loaded it when the ad-server glitched.
such a great video. thumbs up!
@loling53 a lot of it can be purchased from hardware stores, painting stores, and online.
I get most of my more rare chemicals from alfa aesar.
AWESOME!!!!! KEEP ROCKING!
plastic is a bit more difficult since you can't heat it to the temperatures needed without melting/damaging the plastic. I reccomend going to with ITO glass. In the lab the TiO2 is coated with special surfactants and chemicals that operate better at lower temperatures with plastic. but those chemicals aren't easy to get. Also not all TiO2 is good for this. Anatase type TiO2 is the preferred form over the more common Rutile type.
it's exactly how i've done it at university lol, but i used black berries..
it's a really cool thing to do!
This is so awesome experiment!!!
@HandMadeFireworks They are aluminum, but have 2mg of platinum coating. its small, but for this reaction that's all you need.
Exactly the power supply i needed for my solar death ray!
Brillant Video, best yet IMO, I'm into Electronics is why I suppose.
Anyway, great work, love your channel.
it helps to suspend the particles so you can apply them to the surface without clumping. it burns away when the slide is sintered.
The original poster asked it if was possible, not if it was practical. You don't need large scale production to test if something is possible. Most research on solar cells is done on samples just a few square centimeters in size. Well within the range of laboratory methods. So... Go for it :)
THANK YOU!!! great videos man, im an enthusiast of chemistry, and i was wondering why you stopped uploading?
thank you again
brilliant stuff Rager : )
Es impresionante muy buena explicacion me parecio impresionante el plastico conductivo o sea ITO (oxidos de io indio con tin sno) aplicados a paneles solares muy bueno es un material sorprendente usados en pantallas oled actualmente...
Great science teacher! :O
another great video !!! thanks for sharing all this with us ! :) 5*
@blueduderanch incorrect? how so? titanium dioxide doesn't work?
I just wanted to say thank you for this video...
Just knowing that sort of thing is possible in a relativly low tech way is a real eye opener.
It's been a long time since I did any chemistry, so my understanding of quite whythis works is not so good...I understand you explination of the way in which it works though, so that's a start at least.
It's nice that it's possible to dabble in something that hopefully will be very important in the future.
I love your videos dude. Keep up your work. You should too more videos about batteries and electro chemistry :)
dude you are badass. grate job
Thank You NurdRage!!!
Thanks!! IM doing another project on these type of solar cells. This time, since the TiO2 didn't stick last time, i'm going to add an epoxy to see if it will help sinter the TiO2 to the Conductive Metallic Film that i'm using!! Thanks for all your help on these DSSC's!!!! (:
@blueduderanch what was incorrect about my statements on titanium dioxide?
@sbstransitbuses Vinegar, although after you already added in alot, you can add water too.
the ending is so inspirational!
@NurdRage well i cant say fully, but, when we treat the titania it produces excited radical electrons and positive holes withing the anatase structure. these electrons pass through the titania film, which after sintering becomes a glass, this is what carries the current. we have been using methylene blue to test and it works. it is especially effective to dope the titania with WO3 or nitrogen. when is said incorrect i was referring to the cost problem you stated.
@xmAdmAx57 i'm not too worried, a more effective cell probably wouldn't use raspberries, and whatever dye they find, can probably be made in bulk artificially.
I'm more worried if the new dye is toxic, or made of rare elements.
@johnyz656 it can be done, but i personally don't have the equipment to make it. Lower grade doped tin-oxide can be made at home, but the resistance is too high to be useful for a solar cell.
I also wonder , I have many silicone based chip as junk from broken electronics , so i think can i i use old ic or processor or transistors to generate 3 - 6 voltage with 5 to 20 ma current to power small electronics like watch by Focusing Intense beam of light !!!!
I like what you said after 7:41 :)
Kudos !
ok so this is verry informative but useless at the same time as I have no I deea where to get those chemicals. All I managed to get was raspberries and I eat them all on the way home.
For the electrolyte I think you can mix iodine with ethanol, both are fairly easy to get, also TiO2 (titanium dioxide) is fairly easy to get (google). The indium tin oxide glass, I am not too sure how hard they are to get.
Titanium dioxide can actually be found in bad dragon cumlube
well google the chemicals, not the point to tell you where to get everything
The Reeper also for the glass I don't think it has to indium tin glass but is has to be clear and Conductive
***** yep
i wish my school was more about this and you were my teacher
@commandandco there are other people that absolutely despise me doing those videos and have kicked up a flame war or unsubscribed.
But as you know, i do a variety of videos, silly, expensive, cheap, cool, synthetic, useful, broad or specific. Stick around and i'll eventually do something you like.
I can appease some people some of the type, but i'm not awesome enough to appease everyone all the time :)
I love you and I love science!
@Stanilem how long have silicon solar cells been around? :P
I recently saw a video on another channel that shows how to reuse the indium-tin oxide from LCD screens. They also did it without the hot acid. The screen also has the optically perfect glass that you can reuse. Cutting out the biggest expense for this expirement. I will be trying this soon.
@jadenjak haven't seen them? a portable generator that uses gasoline, very popular in areas that have frequent blackouts.
This was totally awesome :)
hahhahahah awesome voice oh and cool solar cell, if only i knew were to find the matierials... right now im sticking to factory solar cells since my dad gets them for FREEEE!!!
@mads9621 i haven't tried it, but i don't see why not.
(BTW a small terminology issue: the triodide is actually the redox shuttle, the ethylene glycol is the solvent)
@pratt123 yeah, scientists that publish papers on this actually call it "artificial photosynthesis". I suppose it is a simplified version as the objective is to generate electrons at the highest potential rather than copious amounts of ATP. A lot of the extra machinery can be done away with.
@blueduderanch yes, how is that incorrect? the raspberry dye becomes unusable after a few days.
@Phantasm911 The soot catalyzes the reduction of triiodide back into iodide.