Highly Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using a Composite Electrolyte Consisting of LiI(CH₃OH)₄-I₂, SiO₂ Nano-Particles and an Ionic Liquid

Solid-state electrolyte LiI(CH₃OH)₄-I₂ is used in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The DSSCs using only the LiI(CH₃OH)₄-I₂ electrolyte show very poor performance due to the quick crystal growth of LiI(CH₃OH)₄. In order to improve the performance of DSSCs, we prepare a composite electrolyte by adding SiO₂ nano-particles and an ionic liquid, 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium iodide, into the original solid-state electrolyte. High efficiency of 4.3% is achieved by applying this composite electrolyte to DSSCs.