Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on liquid electrolyte was faced with a problem of long-term stability owing to their evaporation and leakage. To recover this drawback, quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (QSDSSCs) using gel-type electrolyte is expected to significantly improve performance while maintaining the long-term stability. Numerous researchers have studied the gel electrolyte cooperating diverse organic and inorganic materials. Among them, zeolite has attracted much attention due to its high porosity and crystallinity. In this study, Zeolite-X and A from acetic acid-treated non-magnetic fly ash were synthesized and applied to gel electrolyte for QSDSSCs. The extraordinary properties of Zeolite-X and A were investigated by using BET, HR-SEM, EDS, and XRD. The fabricated QSDSSCs based on the Zeolite-X and A electrolytes were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, EIS, and IMPS-IMVS. The QSDSSC with Zeolite-XF12 electrolyte represents an overall energy conversion efficiency (6.0 %), which is much higher than Zeolite-XF7 (5.0 %), Zeolite-X&AF (4.8 %), and nano-gel electrolyte (3.8 %). Interestingly, the three factors that constitute the overall energy conversion efficiency were increased by adding Zeolite-X and A to short circuit photocurrent density (Jsc), open circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF). The enhanced performance by zeolite-XF12 resulted from effective light harvesting properties of quasi-solid-state electrolyte, reduction of resistance at photoanode/electrolyte interface, and a decrease in charge recombination.

Improved light-harvesting properties of quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cell with gel electrolyte containing zeolite-X and -A from fly ash

2019 Fall National Meeting

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