Effect of cadmium sulphide on poly (ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) based electrolyte nanocomposite and its application in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC)

Abstract

The detail study of structural and ionic conductivity characterization of Poly (ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) based polymer composite electrolyte were modified by the incorporation of Cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanomaterial. PEMA in addition with 40 % wt. potassium iodide (KI) and ethylene carbonate (EC) having 60 % wt., has the highest ionic conductivity of 4.65 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm when employed the solution casting technique. Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) was incorporated with PEMA + KI 40 % wt. + EC 60 % wt. sample to get maximum conductivity sample. The highest ionic conductivity 2.65×10⁻³S/cm, was attained at 7 % weight percentage of Cadmium sulphide (CdS). The conductive sample's morphology was examined using SEM, its amorphicity and crystalline structure was investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technique, and FTIR 'wavenumbers of the maximum conductive sample of PEMA polymer + KI salt + EC plastizer and PEMA polymer + KI salt + EC plastizer + CdS nanoparticles were compared. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to identify the amorphous nature of the maximum conductive sample of polymer composite electrolyte. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis was used to find out the glass transition (Tg) temperature of maximum conducting sample of polymer composite. The doctor blade method was employed to develop the dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC), and it had been observed that, under one sunlight situation, the energy conversion efficiency was 2.09 %, having parameters fill factor was 79.77 %.