Effect of molecular weight of oligomer on ionic diffusion in oligomer electrolytes and its implication for dye-sensitized solar cells

This study measures the diffusion coefficients of I⁻ and I₃⁻ in oligomer electrolytes as a function of the molecular weight of oligomers and investigates their effect on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The high-diffusion coefficients of ions in an oligomer electrolyte with a lower molecular weight can help to promote the redox mechanism in DSSCs and thereby increase the short-circuit current density. They can also cause a decrease in the open-circuit voltage since a high-diffusion coefficient of I₃⁻ is capable of reducing the lifetime of electrons in TiO₂ electrodes. To offset these effects, N-methyl-benzimidazole is added to the oligomer electrolytes, thereby improving the open-circuit voltage and fill factor and, consequently, the overall energy-conversion efficiency, which increases to over 5%. A further test involving storage at a high temperature of 75 °C demonstrates that DSSCs employing the oligomer electrolytes show excellent thermal stability over 200 h.