Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell based on gel electrolyte with high gel to solution transition temperature using low molecular mass organogelator

•An intrinsic stable gel electrolyte based on LMOG with high Tgel was prepared.•N,N'-1,4-butylenediylbis-dodecanamide was used to gelate the liquid electrolyte.•The influence of gelation on the performance of QS-DSSC was investigated in detail.•The QS-DSSC exhibites notably improved stability during the accelerated aging test.

Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (QS-DSSC) were fabricated using N,N'-1,4-butylenediylbis-dodecanamide as low molecular mass organogelator (LMOG). The gel to solution transition temperature (Tgel) of this gel electrolyte is 115.8 °C which ensures a good intrinsic stability of the gel electrolyte at the QS-DSSC operating temperature. The kinetic processes of electron transport and recombination of DSSCs influenced by the gel electrolyte are investigated in detail. Due to the diffusion of redox species in the gel electrolyte is hindered by the crosslinked network and the electron recombination at the interface of the TiO2 photoanode/electrolyte is accelerated, the incidental photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) and the short circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) of the QS-DSSC are slightly decreased compared with those of liquid electrolyte based DSSC (L-DSSC). Remarkably, the QS-DSSC exhibits excellent thermal and light-soaking stabilities during accelerated aging tests for 1000 h. The QS-DSSC retains 90% of its initial photoelectric conversion efficiency, whereas that of L-DSSC only retains 83% under successive one sun light soaking with UV cut-off filter at 50 °C for 1000 h.

Graphical abstractAn amide derivative, N,N'-1,4-butylenediylbis-dodecanamide was synthesized and used as LMOG to fabricate a novel gel electrolyte with gel to solution transition temperature (Tgel = 115.8 °C). This high Tgel ensures the gel state of the electrolyte at operating temperature of the devices by retarding evaporation and leakage of the organic solvent in the electrolyte, which is crucial for the long-term stability of the DSSC. The influence of gelation on the kinetic processes of electron transport and recombination and the photovoltaic performance of the quasi-solid state dye sensitized solar cell (QS-DSSC) were investigated in detail.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide