Quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells containing chemically cross-linked gel: How to make gels with a small amount of gelator

Quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells equipped with chemically cross-linked gels are reported. The gelator contains multi-functional pyridine or imidazole derivatives and multifunctional halogen derivatives. The former reacts with the latter to give three-dimensional ionomer structures even in liquid electrolytes. Gelators polymerized directly in liquid electrolytes of cells have not been reported so far. This makes the cell fabrication process easier, where electrolyte precursors are injected into cells, followed by gelled directly in the cells. In addition, a micro-phase separation technique is introduced in order to decrease the amount of gelators. This makes it possible for the liquid electrolytes to be solidified without losing the high performance of liquid-type cells before gelation.