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A polymeric ionic liquid, poly(1-methyl 3-(2-acryloyloxypropyl) imidazolium iodide) (PMAPII), was synthesized as a single-iodide-ion-conducting polymer and employed in a gel polymer electrolyte. Gel polymer electrolytes prepared from iodine, 4-tert-butylpyridine, γ-butyrolactone, and PMAPII were applied in quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The addition of 16 wt.% PMAPII provided the most favorable environment, striking a compromise between the iodide ion concentration and the ionic mobility, which resulted in the highest conversion efficiency of the resulting DSSCs. The quasi-solid-state DSSC assembled with the optimized gel polymer electrolyte exhibited a relatively high conversion efficiency of 7.67% under AM 1.5 illumination at 100 mA cm − 2 and better stability than that of the DSSC with a liquid electrolyte.

Polymeric ionic liquid, poly(1-methyl 3-(2-acryloyloxy propyl) imidazolium iodide) (PMAPII) containing iodide ions is synthesized and used as a matrix polymer for preparing the composite polymer electrolytes. The composite gel polymer electrolytes are prepared by utilizing PMAPII, organic solvent containing redox couple and aluminum oxide nanoparticle for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). PMAPII is highly compatible with organic solvents and thus there is no phase separation between the PMAPII and organic solvents. This makes it be possible to directly solidify the liquid electrolyte in the cell and maintain good interfacial contacts between the electrolyte and electrodes. The addition of 10 wt.% Al2O3 nanoparticle to gel polymer electrolyte provides the most desirable environment for ionic transport, resulting in the improvement of the photovoltaic performance of DSSC. The quasi-solid-state DSSC assembled with optimized composite gel polymer electrolyte containing 10 wt.% Al2O3 nanoparticle exhibits a relatively high conversion efficiency of 6.51% under AM 1.5 illumination at 100 mA cm(-2) and better stability than DSSC with liquid electrolyte.

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