Use of Anionic Micelle in Photogalvanic Cells for Solar Energy Conversion and Storage: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate-Mannose-Brilliant Cresyl Blue System

Abstract

Sodium lauryl sulphate has been used as an anionic miceller species with brilliant cresyl blue as a photosensitizer and mannose as electron donors for the enhancement of the conversion efficiency and storage capacity of the photogalvanic cell for its commercial viability. The observed values of the photogeneration of photocurrent and photopotential were 310.0 μA and 850.0 mV, respectively. The effects of various parameters, like concentration of surfactant, photosensitizer, and reductant; variation of pH; and light intensity, has been observed. The observed conversion efficiency and maximum power of the cell were 1.028% and 263.50 μW, respectively. The fill factor 0.3170 was experimentally determined at the power point of the cell. The rate of initial generation of photocurrent was 47.22 μA min⁻¹, whereas the photogalvanic cell can work for 165.0 min in the dark if it is irradiated for 175.0 min (i.e., the storage capacity is 94.28%). All observed results of the system are lower in absence of miceller species. A current-voltage (i-V) characteristic of the photogalvanic cell was studied experimentally.

Keywords:

• Brilliant Cresyl Blue
• conversion efficiency
• Mannose
• Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
• storage capacity

Notes

^a [Brilliant Cresyl Blue] = 8.40 × 10⁻⁵ M; [Mannose] = 1.84 × 10⁻³ M; pH = 12.80; [Sodium Lauryl Sulphate] = 6.36 × 10⁻³ M; Light intensity = 10.4 × mW cm⁻²; Temperature = 303 K.

^a [Brilliant Cresyl Blue] = 8.40 × 10⁻⁵ M; [Mannose] = 1.84 × 10⁻³ M; pH = 12.80; [Sodium Lauryl Sulphate] = 6.36 × 10⁻³ M; Light intensity = 10.4 × mW cm⁻²; Temperature = 303 K.

^b [Brilliant Cresyl Blue] = 8.38 × 10⁻⁵ M; [Mannose] = 1.86 × 10⁻³ M; pH = 12.80; Light intensity = 10.4 × mW cm⁻²; Temperature = 303 K.