Preparation of poly(acrylic acid)/gelatin/polyaniline gel-electrolyte and its application in quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

A microporous hybrid polymer of poly(acrylic acid)/gelatin/polyaniline (PAA/Gel/PANI) is synthesized with a two-steps solution polymerization. Using this hybrid as polymer host, a gel-electrolyte with a high liquid absorbency of 16.45 (g g−1) and a high conductivity of 14.38 mS cm−1 is prepared, then a quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (QS-DSSC) is assembled. The polymer host is characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the functional groups on the polymer are identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the photovoltaic tests of the QS-DSSCs are carried out by measuring current–voltage (I–V) curves. The QS-DSSC with this hybrid gel-electrolyte achieves a light-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of 6.94%.

► A microporous hybrid polymer of poly(acrylic acid)/gelatin/polyaniline is synthesized.
► A gel electrolyte with conductivity of 14.38 mS cm−1 is obtained based on the polymer.
► A quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell with the electrolyte shows 6.94% efficiency.