3C09 Self-Assembled Liquid Crystals as Electrolytes for Thermally Stable Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

抄録

Self-assembled materials consisting of organic molecules have attracted a great deal of attention for application in energy devices. In particular, liquid crystals with well-defined channels for the transport of ions are prospective as electrolytes. Recently, we applied layered 2-dimensional liquid-crystalline (LC) ion conductors in lithium batteries and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In the present work, LC ion conductors composed of carbonate functionalized rod-shaped mesogens and ionic liquids (ILs) have been developed and applied in DSSCs. The liquid crystals show layered smectic A phases in wide temperature ranges, up to over 110 °C. Remarkably, the DSSCs based on these electrolytes show significant improvement in power conversion efficiency on heating and can continue to operate until over 100 °C. Furthermore, the LC-DSSCs show high open-circuit voltage compared to IL based devices. These results promote liquid crystals as a new class of electrolytes for solar cells capable of efficient conversion of light into electricity at elevated temperatures.