Ionic gel electrolytes composite with SiO2 nanoparticles for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Composite ionic gel electrolytes were facilely prepared by mixing ionic gel electrolytes with SiO2 nanoparticles. The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) assembled with the composite ionic gel electrolytes exhibit the higher photovoltaic performance and better durability compared to the original DSSCs based on pure ionic gel electrolytes. In particular, the DSSC assembled with the electrolytes containing 0.15 g of SiO2 shows superior JSC (14.4 mA cm−2), VOC (0.67 V), fill factor (0.69) and power conversion efficiency (6.71 %) (measured at AM 1.5, light intensity of 100 mW/cm2). The electrochemical impedance spectra, SEM and conductivity were used to characterize the composite ionic gel electrolytes.