Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 138 (2015) 130–137

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Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and

Biomolecular Spectroscopy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/saa

Effect of solvents on the extraction of natural pigments and adsorption

onto TiO2 for dye-sensitized solar cell applications
Mahmoud A.M. Al-Alwani a,c,⇑, Abu Bakar Mohamad a, Abd. Amir H. Kadhum a, Norasikin A. Ludin b
a
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, 43600 Selangor, Malaysia
b
Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, 43600 Selangor, Malaysia
c
Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Sciences/Ibn Al-Haitham, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

h i g h l i g h t s g r a p h i c a l a b s t r a c t

 Nine solvents used to extract natural

dyes from C. fruticosa, P. amaryllifolius
and H. polyrhizus.
 Three natural dyes, namely, betanin,
betaxanthins, and chlorophyll were
extracted from a three plant species
studied.
 Investigating the best solvent to
extract the natural dyes.
 The adsorption of the dyes on TiO2
particles is better with solvents/water
than with solvents alone.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Nine solvents, namely, n-hexane, ethanol, acetonitrile, chloroform, ethyl-ether, ethyl-acetate, petroleum
Received 23 September 2014 ether, n-butyl alcohol, and methanol were used to extract natural dyes from Cordyline fruticosa, Pandan-
Received in revised form 17 October 2014 nus amaryllifolius and Hylocereus polyrhizus. To improve the adsorption of dyes onto the TiO2 particles,
Accepted 5 November 2014
betalain and chlorophyll dyes were mixed with methanol or ethanol and water at various ratios. The
Available online 22 November 2014
adsorption of the dyes mixed with titanium dioxide (TiO2) was also observed. The highest adsorption
of the C. fruticosa dye mixed with TiO2 was achieved at ratio 3:1 of methanol: water. The highest adsorp-
Keywords:
tion of P. amaryllifolius dye mixed with TiO2 was observed at 2:1 of ethanol: water. H. polyrhizus dye
Dye-sensitized solar cell
Natural pigments
extracted by water and mixed with TiO2 demonstrated the highest adsorption among the solvents. All
Solvents extracted dye was adsorbed onto the surface of TiO2 based on Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Chlorophyll (FTIR) analysis. The inhibition of crystallinity of TiO2 was likewise investigated by X-ray analysis. The
Betanin morphological properties and composition of dyes were analyzed via SEM and EDX.
Betaxanthins Ó 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction
Among possible sources of clean energy in the future, the
dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is one of those with the highest
⇑ Corresponding author at: Department of Chemical and Process Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,
Bangi, 43600 Selangor, Malaysia. Tel.: +60 182862623; fax: +60 3 898574.
E-mail address: mamash73@yahoo.com (M.A.M. Al-Alwani).
potential [1]. It is a device that directly converts visible light into
electrical energy, based on the sensitization of wide band gap
semiconductors [2]. DSSC consists of a transparent conducting
glass electrode with a porous layer of wide band gap semiconduc-
tor, such as TiO2 coated with a dye that serves as light sensitizer, an
electrolyte layer, and a counter electrode, typically coated with
graphite or platinum [3,4]. The light sensitizer converts photons
into excited electrons, which facilitate current flow. To date,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2014.11.018
1386-1425/Ó 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
 M.A.M. Al-Alwani et al. / Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 138 (2015) 130–137
sensitizers available in the market use expensive artificial dyes,
such as ruthenium complexes.
The use of organic solar cells could alleviate the stated draw-
backs through the use of natural pigments as sensitizing dyes for
the conversion of solar energy into electrical energy [5]. These pig-
ments are extracted from fruit, flower, leaves, seeds, and roots.
Environmentally friendly natural organic dyes, which can be
applied without further purification, are considered as an attrac-
tive alternative due to other significant benefits, such as simple
preparation technique, low cost, easy availability, and low toxicity
[6,7]. Thus, natural pigments have been widely investigated. To
date, a growing number of natural pigments are used as sensitizers
in DSSCs including betalain [8], chlorophyll [9], carotenoid [10],
anthocyanin [11], flavonoid [12,13], cyanine [14], and tannin
[15]. The performance of DSSC mainly depends on the dye used
as sensitizer. Two important factors determine the efficiency of
solar cell, namely, (i) the anchorage of the dye to the surface of
semiconductor, and (ii) the absorption spectrum of the dye [16].
The structure of the pigment used as sensitizer determines the
strength of its attachment onto the oxide surface of TiO2. If the
structure contains carboxyl or hydroxyl functional groups, the pig-
ment would bind strongly onto the surface of TiO2 film. The inter-
action between TiO2 and the dye would lead to the excited electron
transfer from the dye molecules to the conduction band of the
semiconductor TiO2 [17].
Most natural dyes that can be used as sensitizers for DSSCs
undergo rapid photo degradation [18]. Chlorophyll, the natural
photosensitizer for the photosynthesis process in green plant
[19], is found in the leaves of most green plants. The most widely
occurring type is chlorophyll a [20]. The application of this type of
pigment has been investigated in previous studies [21]. Chloro-
phyll absorbs light from red, blue, and violet wavelengths and
obtains its color by reflecting the green wavelength [22]. With
two strong absorption peaks in the visible region located at
420 nm and 660 nm wavelengths, it is an attractive compound that
can be used as natural sensitizer in the visible light range [23]. The
photoelectric conversion efficiencies of DSSCs prepared by chloro-
phyll dyes from ipomoea, pomegranate, dried spinach, and shiso
leaf extracts were 0.31% [24], 0.59% [20], 0.29% [25], and 0.59%
[26], respectively. The low conversion efficiencies of these species
are caused by the unavailability of bonds between the dyes and
TiO2 molecules [17].
Betalains are a class of pigment present in plants of the order
Caryophyllales. Betalains, which are also found in some higher
fungi, replace the anthocyanins in fruits and flowers of most fam-
ilies of plant kingdom. Betalains are divided into two kinds,
namely, the betacyanins, which include the red-violet betalain pig-
ments, and the betaxanthins, which are yellow-orange betalain
pigments [27]. Betalains absorb radiation in the visible range
between 476 nm and 600 nm with similar distribution patterns
for both types of betalains (betacyanins and betaxanthins), sug-
gesting the functional similarity between these groups of natural
pigments [28]. In contrast to anthocyanins that contain hydroxyl
functional groups, betalains have carboxyl functional groups. The
interaction between carboxyl functions present in betalains and
on the surface of TiO2 film creates a stronger electron coupling
bond [8]. The conversion efficiencies of DSSCs prepared from beta-
lain dyes of Beta vulgaris, Bougainvillea spectabilis, and wild Sicilian
prickly pear fruit extracts are 0.89% [6], 0.46% [29], and 1.26% [5],
respectively.
The type of solvent used in the extraction process is important.
Recently, different types of organic solvents have been used to
extract natural dyes from different parts of the plant. The type of
solvent affects the absorption spectrum of the dyes as well as the
bonding between the dyes and the surface of TiO2. Earlier studies
have reported that the efficiency of DSSC prepared using Lawsonia
131
inermis extract and obtained with ethanol (g = 0.66%) is higher
than that prepared with a mixture of water and ethanol
(g = 0.52%) [30]. A 532 nm red shift in the absorption spectra of
the red onion skin extracts was observed in the case of ethanol
solution. This is the most obvious shift when compared with those
of methanol (510 nm) and water (520 nm) [31]. Dumbrava et al.
studied the absorption spectra of dyes extracted from red beet
under the same solvent sensitive conditions. The intensity of
absorption spectra is approximately equal to those of methanolic
(544 nm), aqueous extracts (542 nm), and ethanolic extract
(532 nm) [1].
Based on these results, three tropical plant species grown in
Malaysia, namely, (i) Cordyline fruticosa, (ii) Pandannus amaryllifo-
lius, and (iii) Hylocereus polyrhizus were selected to explore new
natural dyes for DSSCs. Various solvents were used to extract pig-
ments from the leaves of the first and second species and from the
fruits of the third species. The best solvent and the optimum ratio
for dye extraction were investigated via UV–Vis spectroscopy. The
structure of isolated dyes was confirmed using FTIR. Finally, the
morphology and composition of dyes were identified using SEM
and EDX.
Experimental details
Extraction of natural dyes
The fresh leaves of C. fruticosa and P. amaryllifolius were washed
with distilled water and oven-dried at 40 °C. The dried leaves were
crushed into fine powder using a grinder (Mulry function disinte-
grator SY-04). Subsequently, 10 g samples of the powdered leaves
were placed into 100 ml of nine different solvents, namely, n-hex-
ane, ethanol, acetonitrile, chloroform, ethyl-ether, ethyl-acetate,
petroleum ether, n-butyl alcohol, and methanol. The solutions
were kept for one week at room temperature under dark condi-
tions. Solid residues were filtrated with a filter paper (NICE,
12.5 cm, 102 Qualitative). The filtrate was concentrated using a
rotary evaporator (Yamato RE 600) at 40 °C for 4 h.
The dragon fruits (H. polyrhizus) were purchased from the local
wet market in Bangi, Malaysia. After manually removing the skin,
the pulp was cut into small pieces. Subsequently, 20 g samples
were immersed in 200 ml of each of the five solvents (water, meth-
anol, ethanol, methanol: water, and ethanol: water) for two days at
room temperature under dark conditions. The extract solutions
were filtered with a filter paper. Finally, the dye solutions were
concentrated with rotary evaporator at 40 °C for 3 h. The absorp-
tion spectra of the three dye extracts were measured using UV–
Vis spectrophotometer.
Preparation of dye-TiO2 solution
The concentrated dye of C. fruticosa was dissolved in methanol
and water at various ratios. The ratios ranged between 1:5 and
5:1. The concentrated dye of P. amaryllifolius was also dissolved
in ethanol and water at similar ratios. The dye solutions of both
species were mixed with 1 g of TiO2 powder (Titanium IV oxide,
anatase, supplied from ALDRICH). The dye solution of H. polyrhizus
was prepared by dissolving the extracted dye with water. The dye
solution was mixed with 1 g of TiO2.
Characterization
The dye solutions mixed with TiO2 were measured using
UV–Vis spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer, Lambda 35). The FTIR
spectra were recorded using the NICOLET 6700. The crystal phase
composition of the TiO2 nanoparticles was determined via XRD
132 M.A.M. Al-Alwani et al. / Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 138 (2015) 130–137

(Bruker D8 Advance AXS XRD) with Cu Ka radiation (1.5406 Å) in CH2 O

the 2 h scan range of 20–80. The morphology and the structure
of the TiO2 particles were investigated using high resolution field C H
emission SEM (SUPRA 55VP) and EDX (Oxford EDX INCA Penta
H3C C2H5
FETX3).
N N

Results and discussion

Mg
Effect of solvent on extraction
N N
Figs. 1 and 2 show the effects of solvent on the absorption spec-
H3C CH3
tra of C. fruticosa and P. amaryllifolius leaves extracted by n-hexane,
ethanol, acetonitrile, chloroform, ethyl-ether, ethyl-acetate, petro-
leum Ether, n-butyl alcohol, and methanol. The absorbance of C.
CH2 O
fruticosa and P. amaryllifolius shows a broad range of wavelength
frequency between 410 nm and 700 nm, which is located within COOCH3
the visible range, and with three main peaks located at 530, 605, CH2
and 660 nm. The absorption peaks observed for leave extracts of CH3 CH3 CH3 CH3
C. fruticosa and P. amaryllifolius in the present investigation corre- CO
spond with the absorption spectra of chlorophyll [32,33]. Chloro- HC
O CH3
phyll structure is shown in Fig. 3. The methanol and ethanol
peaks are the highest, which indicates that these are the optimum
Fig. 3. General chlorophyll structure.
solvents for the extraction process of the C. fruticosa and P. amaryl-
lifolius leaves.
Consequently, methanol and ethanol were used to extract the
pigments from the H. polyrhizus fruits. The UV–Vis absorption
spectrum of the fruit of H. polyrhizus extract is shown in Fig. 4. Dif- methanol
ferent absorbance results were obtained with the use of methanol, ethanol
ethanol, and water, and by the mixed ratio of 1:1 methanol: water
absorbance (a.u.)

water
methanol-water
ethanol-water

n-Hexan

Ethanol
Absorbance (a.u.)

Acetonitrile

Chloroform 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Wavelength(nm)
Ethyl-Ether
Fig. 4. UV–Vis absorption spectra of H. polyrhizus fruit extracts.
Ethyl-
Acetate

450 500 550 600 650 700 750 and ethanol: water. In the visible region, the absorbance spectrum
Wavelength (nm) of H. polyrhizus pigment extracted by water shows a broad peak at
530 nm, which is caused by red violet betanin dye (Fig. 5a). In the
Fig. 1. UV–Vis absorption spectra of C. fruticosa leave extracts. absorption spectrum of H. polyrhizus pigment extracted by other
solvents, except ethanol shown, the same peak of betanin dye at
530 nm wavelength, as well as at another peak at 480 nm wave-
length, which is due to the presence of yellow orange betaxanthins
dye (Fig. 5b). These results were corresponded with the absorption
n-Hexane spectra of chlorophyll and betalain dyes reported in literature
Ethanol
[27,34,35]. From the absorbance results, the best solvent of C. fruti-
Absorbance (a.u.)

cosa, P. amaryllifolius, and H. polyrhizus are methanol, ethanol, and

Acetonitrile water, respectively.
Chloroform

Ethyl-Ether Dye structure

Ethyl-Acetate
The structure of isolated dyes is confirmed by its FTIR spectra.
Three dyes were extracted using the optimum solvent. Different
structures were obtained according to the source type. The
450 500 550 600 650 700 750
FTIR functional groups of dyes are indicated as (a) C. fruticosa, (b)
Wavelength (nm)
P. amaryllifolius, and (c) H. polyrhizus (Fig. 6). The C. fruticosa and
P. amaryllifolius show almost similar structures as that of the
Fig. 2. UV–Vis absorption spectra of P. amaryllifolius leave extracts. functional group position. The peak containing three heads belongs
 M.A.M. Al-Alwani et al. / Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 138 (2015) 130–137 133

HO O
O COO
H R3
HO
OH
HO H
N
N
O

HOOC N COOH
H HOOC N COOH
H
(a) (b)
Fig. 5. General structure of (a) Betanin and (b) Betaxanthins.

to the C@C group, which is clearly observed in C. fruticosa and P.
amaryllifolius. The peaks are sharper compared with that of H. poly-
rhizus. However, the C@O group appears in the wavelength of
1739 cm 1. The CAO group presence in 1060 nm is shown as a
strong peak (sharp), indicating higher values in both dyes. The
aldehydes are found in the wavelength between 879 cm 1 and
721 cm 1 due to the base of the organic (natural) dyes. The H. poly-
rhizus dye show similarity with the functional group of OH, C@C,
and CAO as indicated by the wavelength of absorbance. Two
groups were obtained at different wavelengths. These are C@O at
1635 cm 1 and OH of aromatic compound at 1416 cm 1. Accord-
ingly, the differences among the three dyes were confirmed by
the absorbance as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The absorbance appears
of methanol to water was used. The effects of methanol with a dif-
ferent water ratio on absorbance of TiO2 were evaluated. The
absorption spectra of TiO2 loaded with C. fruticosa dyes increase
with 3:1 ratio of water to methanol. Ethanol, as the best solvent
to extract P. amaryllifolius leaves, was used to load the dye on the
TiO2 particles with the same ratio (1:5). The effect of solvent on
TiO2 adsorbance was investigated (Fig. 8). Absorption increased
0.5
0.4
methanol
5:1
Absorbance (a.u.)

0.3 4:1
almost identical for C. fruticosa and P. amaryllifolius, but different
3:1
for H. polyrhizus (Fig. 4). 2:1
0.2 1:1
1:2
Absorption spectra of natural dyes adsorbed onto TiO2
1:3
0.1
1:4
Fig. 7 shows the absorbance spectrum of the dye extracted from 1:5
C. fruticosa leaves and loaded onto the surface of TiO2. The 1:5 ratio 0
200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Wavelength (nm)

Fig. 7. Absorption spectra of C. fruticosa leaf dye adsorbed on TiO2 of different

methanol to water ratios.

0.7

0.6 ethanol
5:1
Absorbance (a.u.)

0.5
4:1
0.4 3:1
2:1
0.3
1:1
0.2 1:2
1:3
0.1
1:4
0 1:5
200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Wavelength (nm)

Fig. 6. FTIR spectra of extracted dyes from (a) C. fruticosa, (b) P. amaryllifolius, and Fig. 8. Absorption spectra of P. amaryllifolius leaf dye adsorbed on TiO2 of different
(c) H. Polyrhizus. ethanol to water ratios.
134 M.A.M. Al-Alwani et al. / Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 138 (2015) 130–137

0.6 Table 1
Intensity of all peaks of TiO2 and those of the dyes.
0.5
Peak No. by TiO2 TiO2 + C. TiO2 + P. TiO2 + H.
0.4 2h ruticosa amaryllifolius polyrhzus
Absorbance

methanol 25.28 8700 3000 3500 2600

0.3 37.80 1700 800 1000 700
water
48.05 2200 1150 1200 1100
0.2 methanol-water
53.89 1400 800 850 800
ethanol-water 55.06 1400 800 850 800
0.1 62.98 300 650 700 600
68.76 1000 350 300 320
0 70.31 500 400 400 350
200 300 400 500 600 700 800 75.03 700 500 500 480
Wavelength (nm) 76.02 250 200 250 250

Fig. 9. Absorption spectra of H. polyrhizus dyes adsorbed on TiO2.

methanol–water mixture and 2:1 ethanol–water mixture respec-

Fig. 10. FTIR spectra of (a) TiO2, (b) TiO2–C. fruticosa, (c) TiO2–P. amaryllifolius, and
(d) TiO2–H. polyrhizus.
with the lower 2:1 ratio of water to methanol. Fig. 9 shows the
adsorption spectra of H. polyrhizus dye on TiO2 using methanol:
water and ethanol: water, with a 1:1 ratio of methanol and water.
It is indicated that the absorption spectrum was increased as the
water content of both methanol and ethanol was increased. These
results may be attributed to the fact that the dyes extracted from C.
fruticosa and P. amaryllifolius have the best solubility in 3:1
tively, whereas in the case of H. polyrhizus dye, the best solubility
was in water. The increased of solution polarity brought about by
a suitable amount of water enhanced the adsorption of dyes on
TiO2 particle surface [36]. When the ratios of methanol: water
and ethanol: water was optimized to 3:1 and 2:1, respectively,
higher affinity was generated between the dye molecules and
adsorbance, whereas the repulsion between them decreased [37].
Some parameters controlled the adsorption of dyes on the surface
of TiO2 including (i) the particle size and surface potential of the
TiO2, (ii) the ability of the dye to carry adherent groups, such as
hydroxyl or carboxyl for grafting onto TiO2 particles, and (iii) the
type of solvents [38,39]. However, enhancing TiO2 absorption spec-
tra by increased adsorption of dye molecules has been reported in
earlier studies [40–42]. Higher absorbance of the optimum ratio
samples encouraged the preparation of photosensitizers using
extracted pigments. These pigments can absorb light photons
and lead to production of excited electrons, which allows the
TiO2 conduction band with acceptable performance to increase
the conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells.
To confirm the adsorption of dyes onto the surface of TiO2, FTIR
analysis was employed on the TiO2 before and after adobe of dyes
on the surface (Fig. 10). A pure TiO2 shows only two peaks of absor-
bance at 2360 cm 1 and 724 cm 1 [36,43]. After adobes of dyes to
TiO2 surface, the peaks of TiO2 decreased, whereas other peaks
appear according to the type of the dyes. Figs. 10(b) and (c) indi-
cate that C. fruticosa and P. amaryllifolius are adsorbed onto the
TiO2 surface. The main groups of C@C and C@O are found to be
sharper, as revealed via FTIR analysis of C. fruticosa and
P. amaryllifolius. The analysis of H. polyrhizus indicates the groups

101 A B C D

004 200
105 211 204 215
116200
Intensity (a.u)

20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
2-Theta (degree)

Fig. 11. XRD of (a) TiO2, (b) TiO2–C. fruticosa, (c) TiO2–P. amaryllifolius, (d) TiO2–H. polyrhizus.
 M.A.M. Al-Alwani et al. / Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 138 (2015) 130–137 135

Fig. 12. SEM images of (a) pure TiO2, (b) TiO2–C. fruticosa dye, (c) TiO2–P. amaryllifolius dye, and (d) TiO2–H. polyrhizus dye.

Fig. 13. EDX spectra of (a) pure TiO2 (b) TiO2–C. fruticosa dye (c) TiO2–P. amaryllifolius dye, and (d) TiO2–H. polyrhizus dye.
136 M.A.M. Al-Alwani et al. / Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 138 (2015) 130–137

of C@C, C@O, and CAO appear clearly on the surface of TiO2 at the
same wavelength as the one before adsorption onto the TiO2
surface.
Additionally, dyes were adsorbed on the surface of TiO2. The
inhibition of crystallinity of TiO2 was investigated via X-ray analy-
sis. Fig. 11 shows the pure TiO2 before and after the adsorption of
C. fruticosa, P. amaryllifolius, and H. polyrhizus dyes. The higher
intensity of the main peak (at 2h = 25°) was observed before the
dyes were adsorbed onto the surface of TiO2. After adsorption of
the C. fruticosa, P. amaryllifolius, and H. polyrhizus dyes on TiO2,
the intensity decreased approximately to half compared with those
in pure dyes (Table 1). No peak of any dyes on the XRD pattern
appeared. Thus, low concentration of dyes is suitable to the appli-
cation with enhanced absorbance. This phenomenon indicates the
good functional chains between the dyes and the TiO2 surface.
Surface morphology of TiO2
Fig. 12 shows the SEM images. The TiO2 particles are aggregated
to form nano clusters (Fig. 12a). This behavior is affected by the
photo material for DSSCs [44]. The SEM images of natural dyes
extracted from C. fruticosa, P. amaryllifolius, and H. polyrhizus after
doping onto the TiO2 particle surface are shown in Fig. 12(b), (c),
and (d), respectively. These figures reveal that the aggregation of
TiO2 particles increased. In addition, the slight changes in spherical
shapes of TiO2 particles are due to the adsorption of the chloro-
phyll, betanin, and betaxanthins dyes onto the TiO2 particle surface
(Fig. 12(a), (b), (c), and (d)). The aggregation between the TiO2 par-
ticles was caused by the uncovering of all particle surfaces by the
dyes, which causes surfaces to be attached together with those
covered by dyes [44].
Conclusions
Three natural pigments, namely, betanin, betaxanthins, and
chlorophyll were extracted from three plant species [C. fruticosa
leaves, P. amaryllifolius (pandan leaves), and H. polyrhizus (dragon
fruit)]. The dyes of betalains and chlorophyll were successfully
extracted from leaves and fruits using different solvents. The dyes
were confirmed using FTIR for the functional groups of C. fruticosa
and P. amaryllifolius dyes. These dyes showed a similar structure
with those of functional groups. The best solvents for dye extrac-
tion of the three species cited above were methanol, ethanol, and
water. The best solvents for dye extraction of the three species
cited above were methanol, ethanol, and water. The TiO2 nanopar-
ticles coated with the dyes showed higher absorption spectra when
the ratio of methanol to water was 3:1, when the ratio of ethanol to
water was 2:1, and when water was used in different solutions.
Adsorption is related to the variation of solvent polarity of the
adsorption of dyes to the molecules of the TiO2 surface. To confirm
the adsorption of dyes onto the surface of TiO2, an FTIR analysis
was used before and after adobe of dyes on the surface. Addition-
ally, inhibition of crystallinity of TiO2 was investigated by X-ray
analysis to confirm adsorption. The SEM and EDX analyses were
conducted to study the structural, optical, and morphological prop-
erties of pure TiO2 and to confirm if the functional groups of the
dyes were attached to TiO2.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the National University of Malay-
sia (UKM DIP-2012-02) and Solar Energy Research Institute (ERGS/
1/2012/UKM/03/5). Mahmoud A.M. Al-Alwani would like to thank
College of Education of Pure Sciences-Ibn Al-Haitham of the Uni-
versity of Baghdad.

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