A novel thermosetting gel electrolyte for stable quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

A novel thermosetting gel electrolyte (TSGE) based on poly (acrylic acid)-(ethylene glycol) (PAA-PEG) hybrid absorbing liquid electrolyte were reported. PAA is a superaabsorbent with 3D networks structure and hydrophilic groups, and can absorb large amount of liquid. The PAA-PEGhybrid showed a high absorbent ability for liquid electrolytes and the absorbed liquid electrolytes were hard to leaked and volatilized for a long time. The ionic conductivity and interface soakage ability of the PAA-PEG hybrid was superior to that of solid-state electrolyte or other polymer gel electrolyte. The hybrid showed the unique character of superaabsorbent (PAA) with an ability to absorb large amount of liquid electrolyte, and TSGE processes advantages of solid state electrolyte with long-term stability.