By Alice Hill
RealTechNews

If the phrase Stain the Titanium Dioxide with the Natural Dye doesn’t throw you and in fact makes you tingle with excitement, then today is your lucky day. We’re going to build our own solar cell. And if you have to ask why, may we suggest skipping this one, because this is for all the alpha geeks here at RTN. (And I know you are out there!)

Stain the Titanium Dioxide with the Natural Dye: Stain the white side of a titanium dioxide (TiO2) coated glass plate. This glass has been previously coated with a transparent conductive layer (SnO2), as well as a porous TiO2 film. Crush fresh (or frozen) blackberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, or red Hibiscus tea in a tablespoon of water. Soak the film for 5 minutes in this liquid to stain the film to a deep red-purple color. If both sides of the film are not uniformly stained, then put it back in the juice for 5 more minutes. Wash the film in ethanol and gently blot it dry with a tissue.

Step 2 – Coat the Counter Electrode: The solar cell needs both a positive and a negative plate to function. The positive electrode is called the counter electrode and is created from a “conductive” SnO2 coated glass plate. A Volt – Ohm meter can be used to check which side of the glass is conductive. When scratched with a finger nail, it is the rough side. The “non-conductive” side is marked with a “+.” Use a pencil lead to apply a thin graphite (catalytic carbon) layer to the conductive side of plate’s surface.

Still with us? Read the Complete How-to Here Source: UC Santa Cruz Chemistry