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The effect of Spinacia )leracea dye absorption time on ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells’ electrical performance

2022-12 , Kaiswariah Magiswaran , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Norsuria Mahmed , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Siti Norhafizah Idris , Zuraida Abal Abas

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have attracted much attention over the past 20 years due to their significance in energy conversion. However, the dye soaking time may significantly impact the efficacy of the photoanode semiconductor to carry the electronic charge to which the dye molecules adhere. An optimized dye soaking time may prevent the recombination of photo-excited electrons that are injected into the semiconductor of the DSSC. This study scrutinized the dependence of the zinc oxide (ZnO) photoanode soaking time of Spinacia oleracea (spinach) dye on the photocurrent-voltage characteristics. The ZnO film layer (photoanode) was prepared with commercial ZnO nanopowder and applied onto a fluorinedoped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate using the doctor blade method. The prepared DSSCs’ were subjected to a variety of characterizations, including current density-voltage (J-V) characterization, UV-visible characterization, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Xray diffraction (XRD). Comparing four variations of dye soaking time, ZnO-based DSSC photoanode soaked in the dye for an hour achieved an optimum efficiency of 0.03 %. This study proved that the efficiency of a DSSC can be improved by optimizing the dye soaking time.

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Synthesis methods of tin oxide as photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell performance- a short review

2021-12 , Siti Norhafizah Idris , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Norsuria Mahmed , Kaiswariah Magiswaran , Sharizal Ahmad Sobri

This review focused on the synthesis methods of tin oxide (SnO₂) nanoparticles as a photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and how it impacts the performance. There are many different techniques and various nanoparticles were produced and usually characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine crystalline structure of SnO₂, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the surface morphology and size details and J-V solar simulator to verify current-voltage characteristics. In summary, considering all the methods reviewed, sol-gel is reported as the best method to produce SnO₂ nanoparticles for DSSC fabrication with the highest efficiency recorded of 3.96%.

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A simple sensor network designed as anti-theft alarm system for copper cables

2021-05-03 , Zainol M.Z. , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Ahmad M.F. , Shamsul Amir Abdul Rais

At present, the copper resources supply is very demanding, with society develops quickly. The increment of copper cable theft is due to the interest of its characteristic of low transmission voltage, dispersed layout, and high Cu in the material composition. The public utilities such as telecommunication providers faced plenty of troubles and dangers as they are the primary target. As a result of cable theft, the consumers cannot use the telephony system or internet services at their premises. These affect the communication between families, clients, and business purposes, including for emergency cases. Therefore, to prevent cable theft widespread, this work creates a device that is capable of alarming the responsible party when the copper at a specified location has been cut-off or tempered by thieves. A prototype has been developed for this work. Upon detection of a cable cut occurrence, this system will automatically activate the alarm and provide a display to indicate the specific location of where the cable was cut off. The system is controlled by an MCU unit (PIC16F877A). This work is using cable feeders in which the arrangement of the resistor in parallel determines the distance of the cable is terminated with the aid of the voltage divider concept.

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Enhancement of Power Conversion Efficiency with Zinc Oxide as Photoanode and Cyanococcus, Punica granatum L., and Vitis vinifera as Natural Fruit Dyes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

2022-11-01 , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Norsuria Mahmed , Nurnaeimah Jamalullail , Dewi Suriyani Che Halin , Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd Salleh , Sandu A.V. , Baltatu M.S. , Vizureanu P.

Ruthenium N719 is a well-known material used as the dye in commercial dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices. However, it poses risks to human health and the environment over time. On the other hand, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has low electron mobility and high recombination losses when used as a photoanode in this photovoltaic technology device. In addition, using Ruthenium as the dye material harms the environment and human health. As an alternative sensitizer to compensate Ruthenium on two different photoanodes (TiO2 and ZnO), we constructed DSSC devices in this study using three different natural dyes (blueberry, pomegranate, and black grape). In good agreement with the anthocyanin content in the fruits, black grape, with the highest anthocyanin content (450.3 mg/L) compared to other fruit dyes (blueberry—386.6 mg/L and pomegranate—450.3 mg/L), resulted in the highest energy conversion efficiency (3.63%) for the natural dye-based DSSC. Furthermore, this research proved that the electrical performance of natural dye sensitizer in DSSC applications with a ZnO photoanode is better than using hazardous Ru N719 dye with a TiO2 photoanode owing to the advantage of high electron mobility in ZnO.

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Recent advances in synthesis of Graphite from agricultural bio-waste material : a review

2023-05-08 , Yee Wen Yap , Norsuria Mahmed , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Shayfull Zamree Abd. Rahim , Midhat Nabil Ahmad Salimi , Kamrosni Abdul Razak , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Mohd. Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah , Mohd Yusry Mohamad Yunus

Graphitic carbon is a valuable material that can be utilized in many fields, such as electronics, energy storage and wastewater filtration. Due to the high demand for commercial graphite, an alternative raw material with lower costs that is environmentally friendly has been explored. Amongst these, an agricultural bio-waste material has become an option due to its highly bioactive properties, such as bioavailability, antioxidant, antimicrobial, in vitro and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, biomass wastes usually have high organic carbon content, which has been discovered by many researchers as an alternative carbon material to produce graphite. However, there are several challenges associated with the graphite production process from biomass waste materials, such as impurities, the processing conditions and production costs. Agricultural bio-waste materials typically contain many volatiles and impurities, which can interfere with the synthesis process and reduce the quality of the graphitic carbon produced. Moreover, the processing conditions required for the synthesis of graphitic carbon from agricultural biomass waste materials are quite challenging to optimize. The temperature, pressure, catalyst used and other parameters must be carefully controlled to ensure that the desired product is obtained. Nevertheless, the use of agricultural biomass waste materials as a raw material for graphitic carbon synthesis can reduce the production costs. Improving the overall cost-effectiveness of this approach depends on many factors, including the availability and cost of the feedstock, the processing costs and the market demand for the final product. Therefore, in this review, the importance of biomass waste utilization is discussed. Various methods of synthesizing graphitic carbon are also reviewed. The discussion ranges from the conversion of biomass waste into carbon-rich feedstocks with different recent advances to the method of synthesis of graphitic carbon. The importance of utilizing agricultural biomass waste and the types of potential biomass waste carbon precursors and their pre-treatment methods are also reviewed. Finally, the gaps found in the previous research are proposed as a future research suggestion. Overall, the synthesis of graphite from agricultural bio-waste materials is a promising area of research, but more work is needed to address the challenges associated with this process and to demonstrate its viability at scale.

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A study on electrical performance of SiC-based self-switching diode (SSD) as a high voltage high power device

2023-12 , N. Z. A. A. Sha’ari , Nor Farhani Zakaria , Shahrir Rizal Kasjoo , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Mohd Fairus Ahmad , Shamsul Amir Abdul Rais , Banu Poobalan , Norhayati Sabani , A. F. A. Rahim

The Self-switching Diodes (SSDs) have been primarily researched and used in low-power device applications for RF detection and harvesting applications. In this paper, we explore the potential of SSDs in high-voltage applications with the usage of Silicon Carbide (SiC) as substrate materials which offers improved efficiency and reduced energy consumption. Optimization in terms of the variation in the interface charges, metal work function, and doping concentration values has been performed by means of a 2D TCAD device simulator. The results showed that the SSD can block up to 600 V of voltage with an optimum interface charge value of 1013 cm-2, making them suitable for higher voltage applications. Furthermore, it also found that the work function of the metal contact affected the forward voltage value, impacting the current flow in the device. Variation in doping concentrations also resulted in higher breakdown voltages and significantly increased forward current, leading to an increased power rating of 27 kW. In conclusion, the usage of 4H-SiC-based SSDs shows a usable potential for high-voltage applications with optimized parameters. The results from this research can facilitate the implementation of SSD in the development of high-power semiconductor devices for various industrial applications.

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A Study on Electrical Performance of SiC-based Self-switching Diode (SSD) as a High Voltage High Power Device

2023-12-01 , Sha’ari N.Z.A.A. , Zakaria N.F. , Shahrir Rizal Kasjoo , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Ahmad M.F. , Shamsul Amir Abdul Rais , Banu Poobalan , Norhayati Sabani , Rahim A.F.A.

The Self-switching Diodes (SSDs) have been primarily researched and used in low-power device applications for RF detection and harvesting applications. In this paper, we explore the potential of SSDs in high-voltage applications with the usage of Silicon Carbide (SiC) as substrate materials which offers improved efficiency and reduced energy consumption. Optimization in terms of the variation in the interface charges, metal work function, and doping concentration values has been performed by means of a 2D TCAD device simulator. The results showed that the SSD can block up to 600 V of voltage with an optimum interface charge value of 1013 cm-2, making them suitable for higher voltage applications. Furthermore, it also found that the work function of the metal contact affected the forward voltage value, impacting the current flow in the device. Variation in doping concentrations also resulted in higher breakdown voltages and significantly increased forward current, leading to an increased power rating of 27 kW. In conclusion, the usage of 4H-SiC-based SSDs shows a usable potential for high-voltage applications with optimized parameters. The results from this research can facilitate the implementation of SSD in the development of high-power semiconductor devices for various industrial applications.

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Charge recombination in zinc oxide-based dye-sensitized solar cell: a mini review

2021-12 , Kaiswariah Magiswaran , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Norsuria Mahmed , Siti Norhafizah Idris , Sharizal Ahmad Sobri

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) has been studied widely due to its efficiency and the simplicity of manufacturing technology. Much research has been performed to improve the photovoltaic output parameters in DSSC by modifying the photoanode layers. The efforts to investigate DSSC mainly focus on how to increase light absorption, speed electron transport in circuits, and reduce charge recombination. This review discusses the process of charge recombination and the paths of occurrence in a DSSC. Recombination occurs when the electrons in the conduction band fall into the valance band holes and is considered an unnecessary process in DSSC. Due to the recombination process, the photocurrent and the photovoltage are reduced, leading to lower power conversion efficiency. Hence, the ways to overcome the charge recombination process were also discussed.

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Near-Infrared (NIR) Silver Sulfide (Ag2S) semiconductor photocatalyst film for degradation of methylene blue solution

2023 , Zahrah Ramadlan Mubarokah , Norsuria Mahmed , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Mohd. Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah , Katarzyna Błoch , Marcin Nabiałek , Madalina Simona Baltatu , Andrei Victor Sandu , Petrica Vizureanu

A silver sulfide (Ag2S) semiconductor photocatalyst film has been successfully synthesized using a solution casting method. To produce the photocatalyst films, two types of Ag2S powder were used: a commercialized and synthesized powder. For the commercialized powder (CF/comAg2S), the Ag2S underwent a rarefaction process to reduce its crystallite size from 52 nm to 10 nm, followed by incorporation into microcrystalline cellulose using a solution casting method under the presence of an alkaline/urea solution. A similar process was applied to the synthesized Ag2S powder (CF/syntAg2S), resulting from the co-precipitation process of silver nitrate (AgNO3) and thiourea. The prepared photocatalyst films and their photocatalytic efficiency were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The results showed that the incorporation of the Ag2S powder into the cellulose films could reduce the peak intensity of the oxygen-containing functional group, which indicated the formation of a composite film. The study of the crystal structure confirmed that all of the as-prepared samples featured a monoclinic acanthite Ag2S structure with space group P21/C. It was found that the degradation rate of the methylene blue dye reached 100% within 2 h under sunlight exposure when using CF/comAg2S and 98.6% for the CF/syntAg2S photocatalyst film, and only 48.1% for the bare Ag2S powder. For the non-exposure sunlight samples, the degradation rate of only 33–35% indicated the importance of the semiconductor near-infrared (NIR) Ag2S photocatalyst used.

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The Effect of Spinacia oleracea Dye Absorption Time on ZnO-based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells’ Electrical Performance

2022-12-01 , Magiswaran K. , Ili Salwani Mohamad , Norsuria Mahmed , Mohd Natashah Norizan , Idris S.N. , Abas Z.A.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have attracted much attention over the past 20 years due to their significance in energy conversion. However, the dye soaking time may significantly impact the efficacy of the photoanode semiconductor to carry the electronic charge to which the dye molecules adhere. An optimized dye soaking time may prevent the recombination of photo-excited electrons that are injected into the semiconductor of the DSSC. This study scrutinized the dependence of the zinc oxide (ZnO) photoanode soaking time of Spinacia oleracea (spinach) dye on the photocurrent-voltage characteristics. The ZnO film layer (photoanode) was prepared with commercial ZnO nanopowder and applied onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate using the doctor blade method. The prepared DSSCs’ were subjected to a variety of characterizations, including current density-voltage (J-V) characterization, UV-visible characterization, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Comparing four variations of dye soaking time, ZnO-based DSSC photoanode soaked in the dye for an hour achieved an optimum efficiency of 0.03 %. This study proved that the efficiency of a DSSC can be improved by optimizing the dye soaking time.