Importance of ionic liquid-doped solid polymer (PVPI) electrolyte

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to synthesize a porous nanocrystalline TiO₂ electrode and to use a new kind of solid polymer electrolyte, poly(N-methyl 4-vinylpyridine iodide), doped with an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulphonyl)imide, for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. The fabrication process of nanoporous TiO₂ electrode and electrical, structural and photoelectrochemical properties of polymer electrolytes are presented in detail. A novel DSSC has also been fabricated, which shows overall efficiency of 0.56% at one sun condition.

Keywords:

• nanoporous film
• SEM
• TEM
• AFM
• ionic conductivity
• dye-sensitized solar cell