Improved stability quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell based on polyether framework gel electrolytes

Abstract We report three improved stability dye-sensitized TiO2 photoelectrochemical cells using quasi-solid polymer electrolytes containing poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (P123). After introducing the polyether into the liquid electrolyte, the parameters of these quasi-solid-state solar cells are 90% comparable to that of the liquid photochemical cells, although the conductivities of these polyether framework gel electrolytes are lower than that of the bulk liquid electrolyte. The different morphologies of dried liquid electrolyte and the polyether gel electrolytes are characterized with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to explain the better stability exhibited by the polyether gel electrolytes.

[1]  M. Malmsten,et al.  Phase behavior of aqueous poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(propylene oxide) solutions , 1993 .

[2]  Satoshi Mikoshiba,et al.  Quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells containing chemically cross-linked gel: How to make gels with a small amount of gelator , 2002 .

[3]  Hironori Arakawa,et al.  Molecular Design of Coumarin Dyes for Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells , 2003 .

[4]  K. Tennakone,et al.  Dye-Sensitized Photoelectrochemical Cells Based on Porous SnO2/ZnO Composite and TiO2 Films with a Polymer Electrolyte , 1999 .

[5]  Hironori Arakawa,et al.  Novel polyene dyes for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells. , 2003, Chemical communications.

[6]  T. Kitamura,et al.  Quasi-Solid-State Dye-Sensitized TiO2 Solar Cells: Effective Charge Transport in Mesoporous Space Filled with Gel Electrolytes Containing Iodide and Iodine , 2001 .

[7]  S. Guo,et al.  Simulation of the Phase Behavior of the (EO)13(PO)30(EO)13(Pluronic L64)/Water/p-Xylene System Using MesoDyn , 2002 .

[8]  James R. Durrant,et al.  Dye-Sensitized Nanocrystalline Solar Cells Employing a Polymer Electrolyte , 2001 .

[9]  Shengmin Cai,et al.  A Dye-Sensitized Nanoporous TiO2 Photoelectrochemical Cell with Novel Gel Network Polymer Electrolyte , 2001 .

[10]  E. Stathatos,et al.  Dye-Sensitized Photoelectrochemical Cell Using a Nanocomposite SiO2/Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Thin Film as Electrolyte Support. Characterization by Time-Resolved Luminescence and Conductivity Measurements , 2001 .

[11]  M. Grätzel,et al.  Hydrophobic, Highly Conductive Ambient-Temperature Molten Salts. , 1996, Inorganic chemistry.

[12]  Daniel T. Schwartz,et al.  Large Enhancement in Photocurrent Efficiency Caused by UV Illumination of the Dye-Sensitized Heterojunction TiO2/RuLL‘NCS/CuSCN: Initiation and Potential Mechanisms , 1998 .

[13]  Shuming Yang,et al.  Enhanced energy conversion efficiency of the Sr2+-modified nanoporous TiO2 electrode sensitized with a ruthenium complex , 2002 .

[14]  Elias Stathatos,et al.  A High-Performance Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Photoelectrochemical Cell Employing a Nanocomposite Gel Electrolyte Made by the Sol–Gel Route , 2002 .

[15]  P. Liska,et al.  Engineering of efficient panchromatic sensitizers for nanocrystalline TiO(2)-based solar cells. , 2001, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[16]  Polycarpos Falaras,et al.  Binary Polyethylene Oxide/Titania Solid-State Redox Electrolyte for Highly Efficient Nanocrystalline TiO2 Photoelectrochemical Cells , 2002 .

[17]  Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin,et al.  Conversion of light to electricity by cis-X2bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylate)ruthenium(II) charge-transfer sensitizers (X = Cl-, Br-, I-, CN-, and SCN-) on nanocrystalline titanium dioxide electrodes , 1993 .

[18]  Chunhui Huang,et al.  Photocurrent Enhancement of Hemicyanine Dyes Containing RSO3- Group through Treating TiO2 Films with Hydrochloric Acid , 2001 .

[19]  Josef Salbeck,et al.  Solid-state dye-sensitized mesoporous TiO2 solar cells with high photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies , 1998, Nature.

[20]  K. Tennakone,et al.  Fabrication of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Triethylamine Hydrothiocyanate as a CuI Crystal Growth Inhibitor , 2002 .

[21]  Peng Wang,et al.  Gelation of ionic liquid-based electrolytes with silica nanoparticles for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. , 2003, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[22]  B. Chu,et al.  Water-induced micelle formation of block copoly(oxyethylene-oxypropylene-oxyethylene) in o-xylene , 1993 .

[23]  Takayuki Kitamura,et al.  Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells using room temperature molten salts and a low molecular weight gelator. , 2002, Chemical communications.

[24]  B. Scrosati,et al.  Investigation of the ionic conduction mechanism of composite poly(ethyleneoxide) PEO-based polymer gel electrolytes including nano-size SiO2 , 2002 .

[25]  P. Searson,et al.  A Solid State, Dye Sensitized Photoelectrochemical Cell , 1995 .

[26]  Peng Wang,et al.  High efficiency dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells based on ionic liquid polymer gel electrolyte. , 2002, Chemical communications.

[27]  T. Kitamura,et al.  Fabrication of Solid-State Dye-Sensitized TiO2 Solar Cell Using Polymer Electrolyte , 2001 .

[28]  F. M. Gray,et al.  Solid Polymer Electrolytes , 1991 .

[29]  J. Durrant,et al.  Electron Transfer Dynamics in Dye Sensitized Nanocrystalline Solar Cells Using a Polymer Electrolyte , 2001 .