A discovery from the materials laboratory at Universitas Indonesia has opened a new perspective on affordable and environmentally friendly solar cells.\nDr. drg. Bambang Priyono, S.U., together with his research team from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, successfully demonstrated that titanium dioxide (TiO\u2082) nanoparticles synthesised through a sol-gel process and treated with hydrothermal methods could function as an active component in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs)\u2014a type of solar cell that uses dye molecules as light absorbers.\nPublished in the 2018 edition of IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, this research addressed a fundamental question: at what hydrothermal treatment temperature can the best performance be achieved?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DSSC technology is not new, but it offers advantages that conventional solar panels have yet to fully achieve: lower production costs, relatively simple manufacturing processes, and a cleaner environmental footprint.\nUnlike silicon-based solar cells, which require high-temperature processing and expensive raw materials, DSSCs operate based on a mechanism inspired by photosynthesis.\nLight is absorbed by dye molecules, and the energy is then transferred to a porous oxide semiconductor layer\u2014typically TiO\u2082\u2014before eventually being converted into electrical current.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key lies in the TiO\u2082 layer itself.\nThe larger its surface area, the more dye molecules can attach to it. The higher the crystallinity of the material, the more efficiently electron transfer can occur.\nHowever, these two characteristics\u2014surface area and crystallinity\u2014often compete with each other. Improving one may compromise the other.\nThis balance was the challenge that Dr. drg. Bambang Priyono, S.U., and his team attempted to solve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The research team synthesised TiO\u2082 using the sol-gel method, beginning with titanium tetra-n-butoxide as the raw material, which was dissolved in ethanol and hydrochloric acid, followed by gradual addition of water.\nThe mixture was stirred for three hours and then allowed to dry into a xerogel. It was subsequently subjected to three stages of calcination: 150\u00b0C to evaporate solvents; 300\u00b0C to remove remaining organic compounds; 420\u00b0C to form the anatase phase of TiO\u2082, the crystal phase known for its high photoelectrochemical activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After calcination, the TiO\u2082 powder underwent post-hydrothermal treatment in a Teflon-lined autoclave at three different temperatures: 100\u00b0C; 120\u00b0C; 150\u00b0C; for 14 hours.\nThis process was designed to improve the Ti-O-Ti bonding network, creating a more organised crystal structure without significantly reducing surface area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a comparison, the researchers also used commercial P-25 Degussa TiO\u2082, an industrial standard material known for its high crystallinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Characterisation using X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area measurements, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) revealed interesting results.\nThe sample treated at 150\u00b0C produced the largest crystal size, measuring 10.55 nm, with a surface area of 95.38 m\u00b2\/g and a band gap energy of 3.36 eV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the 100\u00b0C sample had the highest surface area at 117.96 m\u00b2\/g, although its crystal size was only 5.49 nm.\nHowever, when all samples were assembled into DSSC prototypes and tested using a 50-watt projector lamp, the results were unexpected.\nThe sample treated at 120\u00b0C produced the highest open-circuit voltage (V_OC) of 250 mV.\nThe 150\u00b0C sample followed with 244 mV, while the 100\u00b0C sample produced 142 mV.\nThe most surprising result came from commercial P-25 Degussa TiO\u2082, the industrial benchmark with the highest crystallinity, which generated only 31.2 mV due to its extremely low surface area of only 13.64 m\u00b2\/g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe post-hydrothermal process has made the stiff Ti-OH network become more flexible and rearranged into Ti-O-Ti after completion of the hydrolysis process. Ti-O-Ti rearrangement has helped increase the crystallinity of TiO\u2082 and enabled the sample to achieve better performance.\u201d\n\u2014 B. Priyono et al., IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2018<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n These findings demonstrate that DSSC performance is not determined by a single factor.\nInstead, crystallinity, surface area, and band gap energy must work together.\nThe 120\u00b0C sample achieved the most balanced combination: Crystal size: 8.85 nm, Surface area: 92.25 m\u00b2\/g, and Sufficiently low band gap energy to maximise photon absorption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This research is not merely an exploration of materials.\nAmid Indonesia\u2019s growing need for affordable renewable energy sources, the development of DSSCs based on locally synthesised TiO\u2082 opens realistic possibilities.\nThe sol-gel method does not require large-scale industrial equipment. The raw materials are relatively accessible, and the hydrothermal process can be controlled simply by adjusting oven temperature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More importantly, this research demonstrates that processing parameters can be systematically optimised.\nThe 120\u00b0C temperature is not a magical number\u2014it is the balance point discovered through controlled experimentation.\nThe next steps involve measuring full power conversion efficiency and testing the long-term durability of the prototypes. These two factors will determine whether this technology can move beyond laboratory benches and become practical for applications such as residential solar systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Authors: Achmad Zam Zam Aghasy, DDS, M.Kes.; Hazra Alifia Muharam<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo: Freepik<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1088\/1755-1315\/105\/1\/012121<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sebuah temuan dari laboratorium material di Universitas Indonesia membuka perspektif baru soal sel surya yang murah dan ramah lingkungan. Dr. drg. Bambang Priyono, S.U., bersama tim penelitinya dari Departemen Teknik Metalurgi dan Material UI, berhasil membuktikan bahwa nanopartikel titanium dioksida (TiO\u2082) yang disintesis melalui proses sol-gel dan diperlakukan secara hidrotermal mampu bekerja sebagai komponen aktif […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":615,"featured_media":21212,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[359,136],"tags":[303,307,289,295,297],"class_list":["post-21191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artikel","category-berita-terbaru","tag-sdg-13-aksi-iklim","tag-sdg-17-kemitraan-untuk-mencapai-tujuan","tag-sdg-3-kesehatan-dan-kesejahteraan-yang-baik","tag-sdg-7-energi-yang-terjangkau-dan-bersih","tag-sdg-9-industri-inovasi-dan-infrastruktur"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\nRelevance Beyond the Laboratory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n