Solar Cell Lab Report

Chem 054 Lab #7. Solar Cell Experiment

DATA

Fresh blackberries were chosen as the dye source for the experiment. The dye was kept consistent across groups in order to better compare data between using bulk TiO2 and colloidal TiO2 cell types. Note that two groups performed experiments on bulk TiO2, and the average of the two data sets is presented here. One group performed experiments on colloidal TiO2. 0.506g of colloidal TiO2 was used to create the colloidal paste.

Table 1. Voltage readings for four different light sources for both solar cell types.

|Light Source |Average Bulk TiO2 Voltage (mV)|Colloidal TiO2 Voltage |

| | |(mV) |

|Fluorescent lab shroud | |208 |

| |152 | |

|Skylight | |205 |

| |161 | |

|iPhone flashlight | 135 |260 |

|Ambient light in room | 108 |223 |

Four different light sources were chosen (Table 1). In each instance, the solar cell was held directly under the light source and the voltmeter reading was read.

DISCUSSION

The solar cell created (our group created the colloidal cell) did work as expected due to its being able to conduct a current as indicated by the voltmeter. The three solar cells created across the lab groups yielded interesting results. Table 2 compares the voltage generated for the two different bulk TiO2 solar cells. Although generated independently, the conducting ability of the two bulk cells were similar, with...