Polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene polymer gel electrolyte-enabled dye-sensitized solar cell for sustainable energy

Developed specifically to address leakage and stability concerns inherent in liquid electrolytes, this study presents a significant advancement in polymer gel electrolyte (PGE) formulation by combining potassium iodide (KI), ammonium iodide (AI) salts, and polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-co-HFP) as a host polymer. The tape casting method was employed to deposit the standard TiO2 paste as the photoanode and platinum paste as the counter electrode. N3 dye was incorporated, and PVDF-co-HFP was used as the PGE between the electrodes. The conductivity of PGE was measured by using a digitized conductivity meter. The quasi solid-state solar cell (QS-DSSC) assembled using single salts (KI, and AI), and mixed cations PGE was examined via photocurrent-voltage characteristics, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The augmented ionic conductivity directly influences the efficiency of DSSCs. Notably, incorporating a mixed salt (KI + AI) within the PGE enhances ionic conductivity compared to single-salt-based counterparts. The resultant DSSCs using mixed salt PGE exhibit a V-oc of 600 mV, J(sc) of 1.01 mA/cm(2), FF of 0.6089, and an efficiency of 0.369%, outperforming those using KI or AI. This highlights the perceptible advantages of employing this innovative electrolyte composition to enhance solar cell performance.