Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells assembled by in-situ chemical cross-linking at ambient temperature

Cross-linked gel polymer electrolytes containing aluminum oxide nanoparticles are successfully prepared using in-situ chemical cross-linking at room temperature after injection of the gel precursor into a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). This makes it possible to directly solidify the electrolyte in the cell without leakage of solvent and to maintain close interfacial contact with the porous TiO₂ electrode. The quasi-solid-state DSSC assembled with gel polymer electrolyte containing 20 wt.% Al₂O₃ particles yields an overall conversion efficiency of 5.25% under AM 1.5 illumination at 100 mW cm^{− 2}.