Poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(vinylidene) fluoride/TiO₂ nanoparticle composite for sandwiched solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

This investigation highlights the viability of utilizing recently synthesized solid-state polymer electrolyte thin films in the fabrication of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Specifically, composite solid polymer blend electrolytes comprising poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(vinylidene) fluoride/titanium dioxide (PEG/PVDF/TiO₂) nanoparticles, as well as PEG/TiO₂ nanoparticle composite solid polymer electrolytes, were made-up via a solution-casting method. To overcome the issues related to liquid and gel electrolyte consumption, leading to problems such as leakage and solvent evaporation, the utilization of solid electrolytes has been introduced for practical applications in dye-sensitized solar cells. The solid-state polymeric composite materials are proposed to substitute of TiO₂ nanoparticles as fillers in the poly(ethylene glycol) host to augment the efficiency of solid electrolytes. The results recommend that the ionic conductivities of the solid-state electrolytes are comparable to those observed in PEG/TiO₂ nanoparticle composite solid polymer electrolytes. This suggests that the blend polymer matrix itself may play a significant role in facilitating effective charge transport within the channels of the nanocomposite solid network. The application of pressing force enables effective penetration of the solid electrolyte into the TiO₂ film, establishing a robust contact with the photoelectrode. The PEG/PVDF/TiO₂ nanoparticle composite solid polymer blend electrolyte-based dye-sensitized solar cells show an open-circuit voltage of 0.641 V and solar cell efficiency increases to 5.5% better performance, as compared to the solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells with PEG/TiO₂ nanoparticle composite solid polymer electrolytes.