Publication: Organosoluble, esterified starch as quasi-solid biopolymer electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cell
Date
2021
Authors
Selvanathan V.
Ruslan M.H.
Alkahtani A.A.N.
Amin N.
Sopian K.
Muhammad G.
Akhtaruzzaman M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier Editora Ltda
Abstract
Fabrication of quasi-solid state polymer electrolytes are recently being endorsed by electrochemists due to its superior electrical and physical properties. With the aspiration to develop a sustainable electrolyte component, this study is a novel attempt to fabricate quasi-solid electrolyte based on esterified starch. Potato starch was chemically modified via simple phthaloylation method. The resulting amorphous, hydrophobic starch derivative was used as a polymer base to prepare cost effective thermoplastic gel electrolytes via incorporation of propylene carbonate, dimethylformamide and lithium iodide. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction characterizations verified the impact of phthaloylation and plasticization in suppressing the crystallinity and hydrophilicity of starch. The biopolymer gel with 40 wt.% LiI recorded the highest room temperature ionic conductivity of 4.82 mS cm-1. The sample with highest ionic conductivity recorded the best efficiency of 3.56%, which is one of the highest values for starch electrolyte-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The optimized efficiency indicate that starch-based electrolyte has good prospects for fabrication of quasi-solid DSSC. � 2021 The Authors.
Description
Biomolecules; Biopolymers; Cost effectiveness; Crystallinity; Dimethylformamide; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Efficiency; Esters; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Hydrophilicity; Ionic conductivity; Lithium compounds; Polyelectrolytes; Reinforced plastics; Biopolymer electrolyte; Dye- sensitized solar cells; Electrochemists; Esterified starch; Organosoluble; Phthaloylation; Property; Quasi-solid electrolyte; Quasi-solid state; Solid state polymer electrolyte; Solid electrolytes