Quasi-Solid-State Polymer Electrolytes Based on a Polymeric Ionic Liquid with High Ionic Conductivity and Enhanced Stability

A polymeric ionic liquid, poly(1-methyl 3-(2-acryloyloxypropyl) imidazolium iodide) (PMAPII), was synthesized as a single-iodide-ion-conducting polymer and employed in a gel polymer electrolyte. Gel polymer electrolytes prepared from iodine, 4-tert-butylpyridine, -butyrolactone, and PMAPII were applied in quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The addition of 16 wt.% PMAPII provided the most favorable environment, striking a compromise between the iodide ion concentration and the ionic mobility, which resulted in the highest conversion efficiency of the resulting DSSCs. The quasi-solid-state DSSC assembled with the optimized gel polymer electrolyte exhibited a relatively high conversion efficiency of 7.67% under AM 1.5 illumination at 100 mA cm -2 and better stability than that of the DSSC with a liquid electrolyte.