The natural dyes carotenoid and anthocyanin were extracted from Kerria japonica and Rosa chinensis,
respectively, using a simple extraction technique without any further purification. They were then used
as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and their characteristics were studied. The ranges of
short-circuit current (JSC) from 0.559 to 0.801 (mA/cm2), open-circuit voltage (VOC) from 0.537 to 0.584 V,
and fill factor from 0.676 to 0.705 were obtained for the DSSCs made using the extracted dyes. Sugar molecules
were added externally to the dye for stabilization and to increase the conversion efficiency. The
efficiencies of the K. japonica and R. chinensis dyes were 0.22% and 0.29%, respectively; after the addition
of sugar, the efficiency increased to 0.29% for K. japonica and decreased to 0.27% for R. chinensis. Thus, the
addition of sugar molecules increased the conversion efficiency slightly with the carotenoid dye of K.
japonica, while there was no considerable change with the anthocyanin of R. chinensis. This paper briefly
discusses the simple extraction technique of these natural dyes and their performance in DSSCs