Polymer Electrolytes Based on Grafted Inorganic Nanoparticles for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Inorganic nanoparticles such as TiO2 and SiO2 were grafted with poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (POEM) and blended with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide (MPII) and iodine (12) to prepare polymer electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The effects of the grafted nanoparticles on the coordination interactions and structures of electrolytes were investigated using FT-IR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The energy conversion efficiencies were obtained as 3.3 and 2.9% for TiO2 and SiO2 based electrolytes, respectively. Good interfacial contact between the electrolyte and the electrodes was also confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM).