A new polymer electrolyte for solid-state quantum dot sensitized solar cells

Liquid electrolytes in quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) cause device packaging and stability issues, and in this work a new type of solid-state electrolyte based on PEO-PVDF polymer blends with S/tetramethylammonium sulfate (S/TMAS) redox additive is investigated. UV-Vis and ionic conductivity measurements are performed to characterize the electrolytes' optical and electrochemical properties. QDSSCs are fabricated using the polymer electrolytes, and a possible additional redox process in the cells is proposed. The study shows that the PEO-PVDF polymer electrolyte with the S/TMAS redox additive can improve the solar cell incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency and stability. This research could shed light on the study of novel solid-state QDSSCs based on polymer electrolytes with further enhanced performance. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.