Impregnation of 2D material MXene in quasi-solid state electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract Renewable energy has gained traction in recent decades due to the rising threat of global warming, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Solar energy is one of the renewable energy examples that are being rigorously researched and commercialized. A new type of solar cell known as dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is a third generation solar cell that has a big potential to replace current silicon-based solar cell in the market due to ease of manufacturing and inexpensive initial manufacturing cost. DSSC utilizes liquid electrolyte which posed a set of problem that include leakage, electrode corrosion, long term durability, and difficulty in upscale process. Switching to a solid state electrolyte reduces the conductivity. Hence, quasi-solid electrolyte is introduced, and researches on increasing its conductivity by adding fillers and additives are carried out. This study aims to improve the conductivity of quasi-solid electrolyte of DSSC by adding 2D material called MXene in the electrolyte. MXene is synthesized with different exfoliation duration and characterized using XRD, FESEM and XPS. The effect of loading of MXene into quasi-solid electrolyte, prepared by adding polystyrene polymer with commercially available liquid electrolyte, is also studied and finally the performance testing is carried out via EIS and Nyquist plot is produced. Result of characterization with FESEM, XRD and XPS showed that MXene is successfully exfoliated at 48 hrs based on its morphology and peak detected by XRD at 7.5°. Nyquist plot showed that loading of MXene at 20 wt% (0.1 g) in quasi-solid electrolyte reduced the impedance and hence indicated better conductance.