Quasi solid state dye sensitized solar cells based on various porous polymer membranes for sustainable clean energy

Abstract

As an emerging photovoltaic technology, dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained extensive attention due to its low-cost and good power conversion efficiency especially in low-light conditions coupled with facile fabrication when compared to conventional solar cells. The electrolyte, an integral part of DSSC has a key role in the process of dye regeneration and transportation of charge carriers between the electrodes. DSSCs have accomplished great advancement in the field of solar cells by using liquid electrolytes (LE) however solvent evaporation and leakage limits its commercial applications. Quasi-solid state (QSS) electrolytes in the form of porous nanofibrous polymer membrane imbibed with LE is a potential substitute due to its highly porous three dimensional network architecture with high specific surface newlinearea which enables it to capture adequate amount of liquid electrolyte (LE) thereby newlineimproving the performance of the DSSC. In the present work, four types of porous polymer membranes have been prepared and used as quasi-solid state electrolytes in DSSC. Initially, a honeycomblike porous membrane (PMMA/PIL/PIN) was prepared by using mixtures of synthesized polyindole (PIN), poly (3-decyl-1-vinyl imidazolium iodide) (PIL) andpoly (methyl methacrylate) PMMA through non-solvent induced phase inversion method. newline newline