title: Newly Elaborated Multipurpose Polymer Electrolyte Encompassing RTILs for Smart Energy-Efficient Devices.
abstract: Profoundly ion-conducting, self-standing, and tack-free ethylene oxide-based polymer electrolytes encompassing a room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) with specific amounts of lithium salt are successfully prepared via a rapid and easily upscalable process including a UV irradiation step. All prepared materials are thoroughly characterized in terms of their physical, chemical, and morphological properties and eventually galvanostatically cycled in lab-scale lithium batteries (LIBs) exploiting a novel direct polymerization procedure to get intimate electrode/electrolyte interfacial characteristics. The promising multipurpose characteristics of the newly elaborated materials are demonstrated by testing them in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), where the introduction of the iodine/iodide-based redox mediator in the polymer matrix assured the functioning of a lab-scale test cell with conversion efficiency exceeding 6% at 1 sun. The reported results enlighten the promising prospects of the material to be successfully implemented as stable, durable, and efficient electrolyte in next-generation energy conversion and storage devices.
authors.affiliation: GAME Lab, CHENERGY Group, Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Jijeesh R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: GAME Lab, CHENERGY Group, Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Porcarelli
authors.affiliation: GAME Lab, CHENERGY Group, Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bella
authors.affiliation: GAME Lab, CHENERGY Group, Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerbaldi
keywords: dye-sensitized solar cell; ionic liquid; lithium battery; multipurpose materials; photopolymerization; polymer electrolyte