Quasi-solid electrolyte with polyamidoamine dendron modified-talc applied to dye-sensitized solar cells

A sequence of generations of polyamidoamine dendron modified-talc, PAMAM-talc-Gn (n = 1,3, 5 and 7), is proposed as additive in a composite gel electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells. Polyiodides are intercalated into the organotalc interlamellar space by adsorption of iodine vapor, producing triiodide and polyiodides. We investigate the effect of organotalc content on the charge transport in the electrolyte and solar cell performance and optimize the organotalc content. Without the previous adsorption of iodine molecules, the organotalcs appear to remove iodine from the electrolyte solution decreasing device's performance significantly. Instead, the samples with additional iodide had higher J(SC) and efficiency approaching the values of the reference cells containing liquid, which suggests that this kind of gelling method would be suitable for dye solar cells. Charge transport in the gel electrolyte is investigated with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry analyses using symmetrical CE-CE electrochemical cells. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.