Investigation of conductivity, SEM, XRD studies of Mg2+ ion based TiO2 nanocomposite PVDF-HFP polymer electrolyte and application in a dye sensitized solar cell

Abstract

Abstract The potential effect of nano TiO2 in poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) based polymer electrolyte and their application in a dye sensitized solar cell have been investigated. The solution casting process was used for fabrication of nano TiO2 loaded in Mg 2+ ion based PVDF-HFP solid polymer electrolyte (SPE), and characterized using conductivity, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photovoltaic studies. XRD investigations reveal the broadening of specific peaks, which shows the occurrence of α, β and γ polymorphous phase transitions that commence the amorphous character and ion mobility. The SEM pictures revealed an interconnecting network of micro-porous nature, and an average diameter of the pores of ∼0.38 µm was obtained by using Gaussian curve fitting. Ion transport is facilitated by the high concentration of pores, which is responsible for the efficient absorption of a significant amount of electrolyte. The photovoltaic characteristics of dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) estimated efficiency (η) is 9.9999%, and the fill factor is 0.84. Furthermore, the stability performance of the nanocomposite polymer electrolyte was improved and sufficient for use over an extended length of time, suggesting potential applications as a separator in solid state ionic conductors.