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Synthesis and characterization of poly-3-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)propylmethacrylate as a gel electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

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Abstract

Poly-3-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)propylmethacrylate (pCMA) is synthesized as a polymer gel electrolyte and employed in the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The pCMA was characterized by various analytical techniques to examine its structural and thermal properties. The photovoltaic and electrochemical effects of this electrolyte in DSSCs were investigated. From the results, it was found that DSSCs assembled with pCMA-PGE is an efficient electrolyte, which yields an open-circuit voltage 545 mV and current density 10 mA for a cell of area 0.25 cm2. pCMA-PGE device shows better performance (η = 2.2%), and it also performs as a good host polymer matrix for redox couple in the electrolyte.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the Department of Science and Technology in India under the Solar Energy Research Initiative scheme (DST/TMD/SERI/S32). The author (Najat Marraiki) extends their appreciation to The Researchers Supporting Project Number (RSP-2020/201) King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

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Author notes

  1. Ummu Habeeba Abdul Azeez and Ahalya Gunasekaran have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanomaterials and Solar Energy Conversion Lab, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Trichy, Tamilnadu, 620015, India

    Ummu Habeeba Abdul Azeez, Ahalya Gunasekaran & Sambandam Anandan

  2. Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), National Research Council of P.Le Enrico Fermi 1, 80055, Portici, NA, Italy

    Andrea Sorrentino

  3. Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Asad Syed & Najat Marraiki

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  1. Ummu Habeeba Abdul Azeez
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Abdul Azeez, U.H., Gunasekaran, A., Sorrentino, A. et al. Synthesis and characterization of poly-3-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)propylmethacrylate as a gel electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cell applications. Polym. Bull. 79, 921–934 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-021-03541-z

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