Synergistic Effect of Acacia (Cassia siamea) Leaves Extract in Green Synthesis of Ag/TiO2 Nanostructures for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

The green-synthesized silver-titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO2) nanocomposite was successfully produced in this study by the synergistic effects of the Cassia siamea leaf extract. In the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, the absorbance improved when the nanoparticle was incorporated into TiO2. The energy gap of the composite reduced as the absorbance increased. Numerous functional groups in the formation of NP were detected by FTIR, and their possible role in NP formation was suggested. The synthesized nanoparticles and nanocomposites were found to be crystalline with X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) studies. The average crystallite size of the nanoparticle was 3.95 nm compared to nanocomposite of 4.53 nm. The shape of the surface of the synthesized nanocomposite appeared smoother and spherical in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image. The Energy Dispersive Spectra (EDS) of the TiO2 nanocomposite confirmed the existence of Ag and other elements. The formation of nanoparticles and nanocomposites having an average size of 4.85 nm and 6.92 nm was also verified on the basis of the analysis of the particles’ TEM micrographs. The incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) increased the conductivity by 60.24% and resulted in promising electrical properties that suggest their potential application in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC).