In this report, the metal oxide semiconductor of undoped and Ni-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by solvothermal method for fabricate ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells as photo sensitizers of Terminalia catappa fruit using ethanol as solvent. These prepared nanoparticles were analysed by structural, optical and electrical characterizations of XRD, FE-SEM, FTIR, UV-Visible and EIS. The solar cell J-V characterizations were analysed using solar simulator with power of one sun AM 1.5 G (100 mW/cm2) illumination. These Ni doped ZnO is the best materials to enhancing the efficiency of solar cell. Additionally, this result demonstrates that addition of Ni is inserting to the ZnO nanoparticles which boost the corresponding efficiency of a solar cell application.

Keywords: Ni-ZnO, Solvothermal, FTO, Doctor blade, Terminalia catappa, Efficiency.