Polymer-Doped Molten Salt Mixtures as a New Concept for Electrolyte Systems in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

A conceptually new polymer electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells is reported and investigated. The benefits of using this type of electrolyte based on ionic liquid mixtures (ILMs) and room temperature ionic liquids are highlighted. Impedance spectroscopy and transient electron measurements have been used to elucidate the background of the photovoltaic performance. Even though larger recombination losses were noted, the high ion mobility and conductivity induced in the ILMs by the added polymer result in enhanced overall conversion efficiencies.

A quasi-liquid polymer-based cobalt redox mediator electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells.

Recently, cobalt redox electrolyte mediators have emerged as a promising alternative to the commonly used iodide/triiodide redox shuttle in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Here, we report the successful use of a new quasi-liquid, polymer-based electrolyte containing the Co(3+)/Co(2+) redox mediator in 3-methoxy propionitrile solvent in order to overcome the limitations of high cell resistance, low diffusion coefficient and rapid recombination losses. The performance of the solar cells containing the polymer based electrolytes increased by a factor of 1.2 with respect to an analogous electrolyte without the polymer. The performances of the fabricated DSCs have been investigated in detail by photovoltaic, transient electron measurements, EIS, Raman and UV-vis spectroscopy. This approach offers an effective way to make high-performance and long-lasting DSCs.