Prior to dipping the electrode in a dye solution, a SEM (HITACHI,
600-S) and an a-step surface profiler (Dekeak 6M) were used to
obtain the micrograph and the thickness of the film on a FTO-glass
substrate, respectively. Following soaking the substrate in a dye
solution, an UV–VIS–NIR spectrophotometer (Jasco, V-600) was
used to investigate the absorbance of a dye-covered working electrode.
Further, an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) (Horiba
EX-200) was used to obtain the weight and atomic percentages
of elements in a dye-covered working electrode.