Quasi-solid electrolytes based on silica nanopowder are well known in literature and these electrolytes are able to match in performance with that of liquid electrolytes. However, contrasting results are observed in literature regarding stability of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with most of the reported articles projecting silica-loaded quasi-solid electrolyte-based cells as a stable alternative to liquid electrolyte-based cells, while a few others contradicting the same. The present study demonstrates the effect of ageing under heat (60°C) and illumination on the performance of liquid electrolyte and silica-loaded electrolyte-based DSSCs. It has been observed that DSSC based on silica-loaded electrolyte are less stable than DSSC based on liquid electrolyte even though independent study on both electrolytes by thermal analysis shows silica-loaded electrolyte to be more stable than liquid electrolyte. Segregation of silica in electrolyte has been confirmed through cryo-field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy. Zeta potential measurements show that ions are desorbed from the surface of silica on ageing under heat and illumination.

中文翻译：

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二氧化硅纳米粒子的离子吸附特性及其对染料敏化太阳能电池长期稳定性的影响

基于二氧化硅纳米粉末的准固体电解质在文献中是众所周知的，这些电解质的性能能够与液体电解质相匹配。然而，在关于染料敏化太阳能电池 (DSSC) 稳定性的文献中观察到了对比结果，大多数报道的文章都将二氧化硅负载的准固体电解质基电池作为液体电解质基电池的稳定替代品，而少数报道其他相同的矛盾。本研究证明了在加热（60°C）和光照下老化对液体电解质和基于二氧化硅的电解质 DSSC 性能的影响。已经观察到基于二氧化硅负载的电解质的 DSSC 不如基于液体电解质的 DSSC 稳定，尽管通过热分析对两种电解质的独立研究表明负载二氧化硅的电解质比液体电解质更稳定。通过低温场发射枪扫描电子显微镜证实了电解质中二氧化硅的分离。Zeta 电位测量表明，在加热和光照下老化时，离子会从二氧化硅表面解吸。