A comparative study of quasi-solid nanoclay based electrolyte and liquid electrolyte dye sensitized solar cells

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are currently being explored as a cheaper alternative to the more common silicon (Si) solar cell technology with improved performance in low light conditions and less sensitivity to varying angles of incident light. One of the major challenges facing DSSCs is loss of the liquid electrolyte, through evaporation or leakage, which lowers stability and leads to increased degradation. To address this, batches of gel electrolyte cells are fabricated with 7 wt% nanoclay gel electrolyte and liquid electrolyte and were evaluated at standard test conditions over time. The gel cells achieved efficiencies as high as 9.18% compared to the 9.65% achieved by the liquid cells. Over a period of 10 days, the liquid cells degraded less than 20% of its maximum efficiency. By contrast, the gel cell's efficiency did not decrease to 20% of its maximum efficiency until 45 days. After several measurements, the liquid cells showed visible signs of leakage through the sealant, whereas the gel cells did not. This resistance to leakage likely contributed to the improved performance of the quasi-solid cells over liquid electrolyte DSSCs.