Development of gel polymer electrolytes for application in quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

A methylcellulose–polysulfide gel polymer electrolyte has been prepared for application in quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) having the configuration FTO/TiO 2 /CdS/ZnS/SiO 2 /electrolyte/Pt(cathode). The electrolyte with the composition of 30.66 wt.% methylcellulose, 67.44 wt.% Na 2 S, and 1.90 wt.% sulfur exhibits the highest conductivity of 0.183 S cm −1 with the lowest activation energy of 6.14 kJ mol −1 . CdS quantum dot sensitizers have been deposited on TiO 2 film via the successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The QDSSC fabricated using the highest conducting electrolyte and CdS QD prepared with five SILAR cycles exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.78%. After deposition of zinc sulfide (ZnS) and silicon dioxide SiO 2 passivation layers, the PCE of the QDSSC with photoanode arrangement of TiO 2 /CdS(5)/ZnS(2)/SiO 2 increased to 1.42%, an improvement in performance by 82%.