Effect on 1-Butyl-3 Methylimidazolium Iodide Ionic Liquid in Nonedible Jatropha Oil-Based Polyurethane Acrylate. Tetrabutylammonium Iodide: Lithium Iodide-Based Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Application

Abstract

Improvement of the electrolyte ionic conductivity in DSSCs application is important as it contributes higher solar conversion efficiency. In this article, the polyurethane acrylate (PUA) gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) system was further improved with the addition of an ionic liquid in terms of ionic conductivity and also photovoltaic performance. The PUA GPE system enhanced with 6 wt % of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide (BMII) ionic liquid was found to produce the highest improvement (ionic conductivity) compared to the different content of BMII. Ionic conductivity of (4.17 ± 0.01) × 10–4 S cm–1 was observed at room temperature with the addition of 6 wt % BMII in the GPE system. Moreover, the DSSC utilizing the GPE with 6 wt % BMII produces the highest solar conversion efficiency of (5.72 ± 0.14)% corresponding with the Jsc of (23.03 ± 0.2) mA cm–2 and Voc of (0.54 ± 0.01) V.