Abstract
A novel type of random copolymer comprised of a polymerized ionic liquid, poly(1-((4-ethenylphenyl)methyl)-3-butyl-imidazolium iodide) (PEBII), and amorphous rubbery poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (POEM) was synthesized and employed as a solid electrolyte in an I2-free dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The copolymer electrolytes deeply infiltrated into the nanopores of mesoporous TiO 2 films, resulting in improved interfacial contact of electrode/electrolyte. The glass transition temperature (T g) of the PEBII-POEM(-23 °C) was lower than that of PEBII homopolymer (-4 °C), indicating greater chain flexibility in the former. However, the DSSC efficiency of PEBII-POEM (4.5 % at 100 mW/cm2) was lower than that of PEBII (5.9 %), indicating that ion concentration is more important than chain flexibility. Interestingly, upon the introduction of ionic liquid, i.e., 1-methyl-3 propylimidazolium iodide, the efficiency of PEBII remained almost constant (5.8 %), whereas that of PEBII-POEM was significantly improved up to 7.0 % due to increased I - ion concentration, which is one of the highest values for I 2-free DSSCs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3037-3043 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 Sep |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy through the Human Resources Development of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) (20104010100500) and by the New & Renewable Energy R&D program (2009T100100606). This work was also supported by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) and Korea Institute for Advancement in Technology (KIAT) through the Workforce Development Program in Strategic Technology.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Materials Science(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Electrochemistry
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering