The application of P(MMA-co-MAA)/PEG polyblend gel electrolyte in quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cell at higher temperature

A poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylate acid)/poly(ethylene glycol) [P(MMA-co-MAA)/PEG] polyblend with viscoelasticity was synthesized by a copolymerizing reaction between methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methacrylate acid (MAA) using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) methanol solution. Then, a polyblend gel electrolyte was prepared by adding KI and I2 to P(MMA-co-MAA)/PEG system. The influence of compositions of the polyblend gel electrolyte on the ionic conductivity and the effect of temperature on photoelectronic performance of quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cell (QS-DSSC) were discussed. It was found that the polyblend gel electrolyte was a good candidate as high-temperature electrolyte for QS-DSSCs. Under an optimized condition, the highest conductivity of the polyblend gel electrolyte was 2.70 mS/cm2 at 30 °C. Based on the polyblend gel electrolyte, a light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 4.85% for QS-DSSC was achieved under AM 1.5 simulated solar light illumination at 60 °C.