Stable Hydrophobic Ionic Liquid Gel Electrolyte for Stretchable Fiber-Shaped Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

Fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells have attracted increasing interest in powering wearable and portable electronic devices. However, the use of liquid electrolytes gives rise to vulnerabilities, greatly limiting their practical applications. Here we develop a stable gel electrolyte based on polymer–ionic liquid gel with high nonvolatility and durability. The gel electrolyte maintains a quasi-solid state from room temperature to 98 °C and can sustain high temperatures up to 300 °C. Based on this gel electrolyte, the resulting fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cell achieves a power conversion efficiency of 5.47 % that remains at 90 % after 30 days. The gel electrolyte makes the device more environmentally adaptive and compatible to bending and stretching deformations.