Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Assembled with Composite Gel Polymer Electrolytes Containing Nanosized Al₂O₃ Particles

Polymeric ionic liquid, poly(1-methyl 3-(2-acryloyloxy propyl) imidazolium iodide) (PMAPII) containing iodide ions is synthesized and used as a matrix polymer for preparing the composite polymer electrolytes. The composite gel polymer electrolytes are prepared by utilizing PMAPII, organic solvent containing redox couple and aluminum oxide nanoparticle for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). PMAPII is highly compatible with organic solvents and thus there is no phase separation between the PMAPII and organic solvents. This makes it be possible to directly solidify the liquid electrolyte in the cell and maintain good interfacial contacts between the electrolyte and electrodes. The addition of 10 wt.% Al₂O₃ nanoparticle to gel polymer electrolyte provides the most desirable environment for ionic transport, resulting in the improvement of the photovoltaic performance of DSSC. The quasi-solid-state DSSC assembled with optimized composite gel polymer electrolyte containing 10 wt.% Al₂O₃ nanoparticle exhibits a relatively high conversion efficiency of 6.51% under AM 1.5 illumination at 100 mA cm⁻² and better stability than DSSC with liquid electrolyte.