Quasi-Solid State Electrolyte for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
In this article, for the fist time we reported the preparation of a mostly solid-state high efficient electro-conductive material comprising 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide (MPII), benzimidazole (BI), iodine and lithium iodide. In this electrolyte, BI act not only additives but also gelators.Although materials mentioned above have already been widely used in many researches, the solid state electrolytes comprising these components have never been reported yet. Since MPII has been known as ionic liquid and used in DSCs for its favorable properties such as thermal stability, nonflammability, high ionic conductivity, negligible vapor pressure, and a possible wide electrochemical window, electrolytes containing these components are environment-friendly and easy to manufacture with their low liquid-to-solid phase transition temperature. Because the solidification does not need any additional gelator, it is very convenient for the preparation of cells, which is very important for industrial manufacture. And with their significant electrochemical properties, overall efficiency of 3.07% was achieved under AM 1.5 (100mW/ cm2).