Preparation of PAA-g-CTAB/PANI polymer based gel-electrolyte and the application in quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

A microporous hybrid polymer of poly(acrylic acid)-g-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/polyaniline (PAA-g-CTAB/PANI) was synthesized by a two-steps solution polymerization. Using this amphipathic hybrid as host, a gel-electrolyte with a high absorbency of 17.69 (g/g) and a high conductivity of 14.29 mS cm−1 was prepared. The polymer hosts have been characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the microporous network structure was observed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the electrochemical property tests of the gel-electrolytes have been carried out by means of I–V measurements. The quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (QS-DSSCs) based on the hybrid gel-electrolyte reach a light-to-current efficiency of 6.68%.

► A gel-electrolyte is prepared by introducing PANI into PAA-g-CTAB polymer network.
► The quasi-solid-state electrolyte shows a high conductivity of 14.29 mS cm−1.
► The DSSC with the electrolyte achieves an energy conversion efficiency of 6.68%.