Quasi-Solid-State SiO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte Prepared from Raw Fly Ash for Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion
Quasi-solid-state electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) prevent solvent leakage or evaporation and stability issues that conventional electrolytes cannot; however, there are no known reports that use such an electrolyte based on fly ash SiO<sub>2</sub> (FA_SiO<sub>2<...
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/10/3576 |
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| author | Gyo Hun Choi Jaehyeong Park Sungjun Bae Jung Tae Park |
| author_facet | Gyo Hun Choi Jaehyeong Park Sungjun Bae Jung Tae Park |
| author_sort | Gyo Hun Choi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Quasi-solid-state electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) prevent solvent leakage or evaporation and stability issues that conventional electrolytes cannot; however, there are no known reports that use such an electrolyte based on fly ash SiO<sub>2</sub> (FA_SiO<sub>2</sub>) from raw fly ash (RFA) for solar energy conversion applications. Hence, in this study, quasi-solid-state electrolytes based on FA_SiO<sub>2</sub> are prepared from RFA and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) for solar energy conversion. The structural, morphological, chemical, and electrochemical properties of the DSSCs using this electrolyte are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution field-emission scanning electron microscopy (HR-FESEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements. The DSSCs based on the quasi-solid-state electrolyte (SiO<sub>2</sub>) show a cell efficiency of 5.5%, which is higher than those of nanogel electrolytes (5.0%). The enhancement of the cell efficiency is primarily due to the increase in the open circuit voltage and fill factor caused by the reduced electron recombination and improved electron transfer properties. The findings confirm that the RFA-based quasi-solid-state (SiO<sub>2</sub>) electrolyte is an alternative to conventional liquid-state electrolytes, making this approach among the most promising strategies for use in low-cost solar energy conversion devices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:31:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ceb0660914c44ee98a529d50c1aa45f2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:31:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-ceb0660914c44ee98a529d50c1aa45f22023-11-23T11:57:27ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-05-011510357610.3390/ma15103576Quasi-Solid-State SiO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte Prepared from Raw Fly Ash for Enhanced Solar Energy ConversionGyo Hun Choi0Jaehyeong Park1Sungjun Bae2Jung Tae Park3Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, KoreaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Konkuk Univesity, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, KoreaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Konkuk Univesity, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, KoreaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, KoreaQuasi-solid-state electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) prevent solvent leakage or evaporation and stability issues that conventional electrolytes cannot; however, there are no known reports that use such an electrolyte based on fly ash SiO<sub>2</sub> (FA_SiO<sub>2</sub>) from raw fly ash (RFA) for solar energy conversion applications. Hence, in this study, quasi-solid-state electrolytes based on FA_SiO<sub>2</sub> are prepared from RFA and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) for solar energy conversion. The structural, morphological, chemical, and electrochemical properties of the DSSCs using this electrolyte are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution field-emission scanning electron microscopy (HR-FESEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements. The DSSCs based on the quasi-solid-state electrolyte (SiO<sub>2</sub>) show a cell efficiency of 5.5%, which is higher than those of nanogel electrolytes (5.0%). The enhancement of the cell efficiency is primarily due to the increase in the open circuit voltage and fill factor caused by the reduced electron recombination and improved electron transfer properties. The findings confirm that the RFA-based quasi-solid-state (SiO<sub>2</sub>) electrolyte is an alternative to conventional liquid-state electrolytes, making this approach among the most promising strategies for use in low-cost solar energy conversion devices.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/10/3576raw fly ashSiO<sub>2</sub>quasi-solid-state electrolytesolar energy conversiondye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) |
| spellingShingle | Gyo Hun Choi Jaehyeong Park Sungjun Bae Jung Tae Park Quasi-Solid-State SiO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte Prepared from Raw Fly Ash for Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion Materials raw fly ash SiO<sub>2</sub> quasi-solid-state electrolyte solar energy conversion dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) |
| title | Quasi-Solid-State SiO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte Prepared from Raw Fly Ash for Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion |
| title_full | Quasi-Solid-State SiO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte Prepared from Raw Fly Ash for Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion |
| title_fullStr | Quasi-Solid-State SiO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte Prepared from Raw Fly Ash for Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quasi-Solid-State SiO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte Prepared from Raw Fly Ash for Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion |
| title_short | Quasi-Solid-State SiO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte Prepared from Raw Fly Ash for Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion |
| title_sort | quasi solid state sio sub 2 sub electrolyte prepared from raw fly ash for enhanced solar energy conversion |
| topic | raw fly ash SiO<sub>2</sub> quasi-solid-state electrolyte solar energy conversion dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/10/3576 |
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