An Investigation of Modified Natural Rubber-Based (MG49) Polymer Electrolyte in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

• A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was fabricated utilizing 49% poly(methyl methacrylate)-grafted natural rubber (MG49) with sodium iodide (NaI) as ion conducting membrane. The effect of NaI concentrations on electrochemical, morphological, chemical interaction and the crystallinity properties of MG49 has been analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The highest ionic conductivity of 8.86 × 10-5 S cm-1 at room temperature for MG49-NaI (30 wt. %) polymer electrolyte membrane is achieved. The cross-sectional morphology showed a homogenous microporous structure of the membrane. Infrared analysis indicated that the interactions occurred between oxygen atoms from ether (C–O–C) and carbonyl (C=O) group of the polymer with sodium ions. XRD analysis showed the property of semi-crystalline phase reduced with the increases of salt concentration. The chronoamperometry analysis of MG49-NaI (30 wt. %) give an ionic transference number value of 0.92, proving that the polymer electrolyte membrane is ionic conductor and predominates by the number of ions presence. A fabricated solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) of FTO/TiO2-N719/MG49-NaI(30 wt.%)-I2/Pt under light intensity of 100 mW cm-2, gives results of the photovoltaic responses with Jsc, Voc, ff and efficiency of 1.30 mA cm-2, 0.56 V, 34.91 and 0.26%, respectively. In quasi-solid DSSC, an effieciencyof 3.48 % with Voc = 0.75 V, Jsc = 12.71 mA cm-2 and FF = 37.70 was achieved.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Polymerkemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Polymer Chemistry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC); polymer electrolyte; sodium iodide (NaI); 49% poly(methyl methacrylate) grafted natural rubber (MG49)

Kemi med inriktning mot polymerkemi

Chemistry with specialization in Polymer Chemistry

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)