Low molecular mass organogelator based gel electrolyte with effective charge transport property for long-term stable quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells.
Stable quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) were fabricated using 12-hydroxystearic acid as a low molecular mass organogelator (LMOG) to form gel electrolyte. TEM image of the gel exhibited the self-assembled network constructed by the LMOG, which hindered flow and volatilization of the liquid. The formation of less-mobile polyiodide ions such as I 3 (-) and I 5 (-) confirmed by Raman spectroscopy increased the conductivity of the gel electrolytes by electronic conduction process, which should be rationalized by the Grotthuss-type electron exchange mechanism caused by rather packed polyiodide species in the electrolytes. The results of the accelerated aging tests showed that the gel electrolyte based dye-sensitized solar cell could retain over 97% of its initial photoelectric conversion efficiency value after successive heating at 60 degrees C for 1000 h and device degradation was also negligible after one sun light soaking with UV cutoff filter for 1000 h.
Huo
Zhipeng
Z
Division of Solar Energy Materials and Engineering, Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP), Hefei, P. R. China
Dai
Songyuan
S
Zhang
Changneng
C
Kong
Fantai
F
Fang
Xiaqin
X
Guo
Lei
L
Liu
Weiqing
W
Hu
Linhua
L
Pan
Xu
X
Wang
Kongjia
K