Fish Oil Functionalization of TiO2 for Enhanced Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance

Fish Oil Functionalization of TiO2 for Enhanced Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Fish Oil Functionalization of TiO 2 for Enhanced Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance G. K.R. Senadeera, P. U. Sandunika, D. G.G.K. Karunathilake, I Weerasinghe, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8934932/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 22 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The advancement of green photovoltaic technologies has positioned TiO 2 based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as promising third-generation solar devices, though their efficiencies remain constrained primarily by interfacial charge recombination at the TiO 2 /dye/electrolyte interface. An eco-friendly interfacial modification strategy using fish oil (FO) is introduced to enhance the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs. Fish oil, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as Eicosapentaenoic acid and Docosahexaenoic acid, serves as a natural co-adsorbent and surface modifier for TiO 2 photoanodes. Fourier Infrared analysis confirmed the chemical anchoring of FO molecules onto TiO 2 through carboxylate and carbonyl groups, forming stable TiO 2 –organic linkages. UV–visible spectroscopy revealed a redshift in the absorption edge, indicating band gap narrowing and improved visible-light harvesting. Mott–Schottky analysis showed a positive shift in the Fermi level, enhancing electron injection efficiency. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy demonstrated suppressed charge recombination and improved charge-transfer kinetics at the TiO 2 /dye/electrolyte interface. The optimized FO treatment yielded a maximum power conversion efficiency of 9.47%, corresponding to a 28% improvement over the pristine TiO 2 -based DSSC (8.20%). These findings establish fish oil as a sustainable and effective green interfacial modifier, offering a simple, low-cost pathway for efficiency enhancement in next-generation DSSCs. Fish oil TiO2 photoanode Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) Co-adsorbent Interfacial modification Charge recombination Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 22 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 12 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 09 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 03 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 03 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 02 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 25 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 25 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 21 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8934932","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":598081593,"identity":"147d424e-b729-42fc-80af-01342acbe49f","order_by":0,"name":"G. K.R. 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An eco-friendly interfacial modification strategy using fish oil (FO) is introduced to enhance the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs. Fish oil, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as Eicosapentaenoic acid and Docosahexaenoic acid, serves as a natural co-adsorbent and surface modifier for TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e photoanodes. Fourier Infrared analysis confirmed the chemical anchoring of FO molecules onto TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e through carboxylate and carbonyl groups, forming stable TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e –organic linkages. UV–visible spectroscopy revealed a redshift in the absorption edge, indicating band gap narrowing and improved visible-light harvesting. Mott–Schottky analysis showed a positive shift in the Fermi level, enhancing electron injection efficiency. 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