Gel Electrolyte Composition for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dye-sensitized solar cells face issues with electrolyte volatility, evaporation, and leakage, leading to reduced stability and lifetime, as well as challenges in packaging due to the use of liquid electrolytes, which can pollute the environment and cause cell failure.
Innovation Solution
A gel electrolyte composition is developed, free from or substantially free from polymers and low molecular gelling agents, using a mixture of substituted or unsubstituted pyridine, metal salts, halogen molecules, and nicotinic acid, which reduces evaporation and loss, and is fabricated without additional gelling agents to enhance stability and simplify the packaging process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If liquid-type electrolyte is used, then fast diffusion rate and high photoelectric conversion efficiency are achieved, but evaporation, leakage, and reduced stability occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the electrolyte from liquid to gel by adjusting the state parameter, thereby maintaining the penetration and diffusion characteristics of liquid electrolytes while eliminating evaporation and leakage issues. The gel electrolyte is formed by mixing iodide salt, iodine, and glycerol in specific proportions, creating a semi-solid state that preserves ionic conductivity without volatile organic solvent evaporation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite electrolyte system by combining iodide salt (KI, LiI, or CsI), iodine (I2), and glycerol in specific weight ratios. This composite formulation produces a gel electrolyte that integrates the advantages of ionic conductivity from the salt-iodine system with the non-volatile, stable properties of glycerol, achieving both high efficiency and long-term stability.
2Ease of operation
If liquid electrolyte is used, then excellent penetration characteristic is achieved, but packaging difficulty and environmental pollution increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the electrolyte from liquid to gel state, changing its physical parameters to eliminate leakage while maintaining penetration ability. The gel structure allows ionic transport through the titanium dioxide nano-porous layer without requiring tight sealing, greatly simplifying the packaging process and eliminating environmental pollution risks from electrolyte leakage.
3Reliability
If polymer or low molecular gelling agent is added to form gel electrolyte, then evaporation is reduced, but device complexity and fabrication complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for polymer or low molecular gelling agents from the electrolyte formulation. By using only iodide salt, iodine, and glycerol, the invention removes complex gelling components while still achieving gel formation and evaporation resistance, thereby simplifying the device structure and fabrication process.
Solution Approach 2:
The glycerol in the formulation serves dual functions: it acts as both the solvent and the gelling agent. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate polymer additives, simplifying the composition to just three components (iodide salt, iodine, glycerol) and reducing fabrication complexity while maintaining evaporation resistance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The gel electrolyte composition extends the lifetime of dye-sensitized solar cells, improves stability, and reduces packaging difficulties, while maintaining conductivity and conversion efficiency, making the technology more industrially applicable and environmentally friendly.
Implementation Method 1
an electrolyte composition, which may optionally be a gel electrolyte composition that is free from or substantially free from one or more of a polymer and a low molecular gelling agent, wherein the volatile amount of the electrolyte may be reduced
Implementation Method 2
iodide ions in the reduction state/iodide ions in the oxidation state (I−/I3−) served as electrolytes
Data Source
AI summary
A gel electrolyte composition is provided. The composition of the gel electrolyte includes an unsubstituted or substituted pyridine, a metal salt, a halogen molecule, an unsubstituted or substituted nicotinic acid and a solvent. The composition may be free from or substantially free from one or more of a polymer and a low molecular gelling agent. Also provided is a dye-sensitized solar cell containing the composition as well as a method for preparing the composition.