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PEO/PVdF–HFP electrolytes for natural dye sensitized solar cell applications: effect of modified nano-TiO2 on electrochemical and photovoltaic performance

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Abstract

Poly ethylene oxide (PEO) and Polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexaflouropropylene (PVdF–HFP) blend electrolytes filled with surface modified TiO2 nanofillers were prepared by solvent casting method. The ionic conductivity is increased about 7.02 × 10−4 S/cm with the incorporation of surface modified TiO2 nanoparticles upto 7 wt %, where the ionic conductivity was about 7.94 × 10−5 S/cm with the addition of unmodified counterpart as the filler within PEO/PVdF–HFP blends. Similarly, ionic mobility, charge carrier concentration, ion diffusion coefficient also found to increase with the addition of surface modified TiO2 nanoparticles. XRD results showed the change in the crystalline phase of PEO/PVdF–HFP blend electrolyte with the addition of surface modified TiO2. The effect of the TiO2 nanoparticles surface functionality on the degree of crystallinity of the polymer matrix was analyzed using DSC. The distribution of nanoparticles within the PEO/PVdF–HFP was studied by SEM. The solid state dye sensitized solar cell has been fabricated by using silane modified TiO2/PEO/PVdF–HFP polymer nanocomposites electrolyte and natural dye extracted from gross as a sensitizer. The current–voltage characteristics of solar cells showed an enhancement of open circuit voltage (Voc) from 0.31 to 0.47 V and the best fill factor achieved about 64 %, when silane modified TiO2 is added.

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Acknowledgments

One of the authors (K. Prabakaran) acknowledges Prof. P. Ramasamy and Dr. M. Senthil Pandian, SSN Research Centre, Chennai, Tamilnadu for their support in Photo anode fabrications. And also thankful to Mr. Pinaki Chatterjee and S. Adithyakumar Varma, LARPM, CIPET, Bhubaneswar for their assistance in photovoltaic characterizations. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Advanced Research in Polymeric Materials (LARPM), Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar, 751 024, Odisha, India

    K. Prabakaran, S. Mohanty & S. K. Nayak

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  1. K. Prabakaran
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  2. S. Mohanty
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  3. S. K. Nayak
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Correspondence to S. Mohanty.

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Prabakaran, K., Mohanty, S. & Nayak, S.K. PEO/PVdF–HFP electrolytes for natural dye sensitized solar cell applications: effect of modified nano-TiO2 on electrochemical and photovoltaic performance. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 26, 3887–3897 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-2916-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-2916-4

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