Abstract:
This study investigates how to improve the stability of liquid electrolyte (LE) dye-sensitized solar cells
(DSSCs) by incorporating a titanium-based metal-organic framework (MIL-125). MIL-125, created
through the coordination of Ti4+ ions with benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid, forms a structure that
can effectively accommodate I−/I3
− electrolytes, resulting in a MIL-125@electrolyte assembly. This
innovative assembly successfully prevents electrolyte leakage while preserving the LE properties. The
study examines how the MIL-125@electrolyte enhances both stability and power conversion efficiency
(PCE) of DSSCs. The inclusion of the large-surface-area of MIL-125 improves ionic conductivity, reduces
charge transfer resistance, and stops leakage. The optimized MIL-125@electrolyte achieves a high PCE
of 10.51%, with a peak value of 10.99%, and a notable short-circuit current density of 20.97 mA/cm²,
peaking at 22.27 mA/cm², under standard AM 1.5, 100 mW/cm² conditions. It maintains about 75% of
its PCE after 1400 h at approximately 23 °C. For indoor applications using LED lighting, the quasi-solidstate DSSC reaches a record PCE of 27.6%, with an average of 25.9%, under 6000 lx illumination.
