Effect of electrolyte in electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) nanofibers on dye-sensitized solar cells

We prepared poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers by the electrospinning method and applied to the polymer matrix in polymer electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The uptake, ionic conductivity, and porosity of the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofiber films showed 653 +/- 50%, 4.53 +/- 1.3 x 10(-3) S/cm, and 70 +/- 2.3%, respectively, regardless of the diameter and morphology of nanofibers. In addition, several DSSC devices using the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofiber films as the polymer matrix were prepared to investigate the photovoltaic effect of iodine (I-2) concentrations on DSSC devices. With an increase of I-2 concentration in electrolyte solutions, the ionic conductivity increased, while the photocurrent density of DSSC devices decreased. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.