Gel electrolyte based on UV-cured polyurethane for dye-sensitized solar cells

A gel electrolyte based on polyurethane as a polymer matrix was prepared by the UV curing of a liquid electrolyte containing an aliphatic urethane acrylate. By controlling the concentration of the polymer matrix, the ionic conductivities of the gel electrolytes were varied from 9.8 x 10(-3) S/cm to 4.7 x 10(-3) S/cm at room temperature. The quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) fabricated with the gel electrolyte rendered an overall energy conversion efficiency of 6.1% under irradiation of 100 mW/cm(2) at room temperature. The DSSC employing the gel electrolyte showed better photovoltaic performance than the DSSC assembled without the polyurethane at temperatures above 55 degrees C. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.