Light-cured and biosourced polymer electrolytes for aqueous photovoltaics

Photovoltaic (PV) technology has evolved rapidly in the past few decades and now encompasses a large variety of materials and device structures. A key aspect to be considered in any PV technology is the operational durability under real outdoor conditions, as well as the sustainability of materials/components and the facile integration with energy storage systems. In the last years, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with water-based electrolytes have been considered as one of the possible breakthroughs towards DSSCs large-scale diffusion. If opportunely developed and optimized, aqueous solar cells can be truly considered as zero-impact photovoltaic devices fabricated with non-toxic components. We show here the possibility of jellying the electrolyte into a solid matrix to boost stability and the possible use of different redox mediators solvated by water. Both biosourced polymers and UV-curable reactive mixtures are studied and will be discussed, along with a structure-property correlation coupled with the assessment of lab-scale solar cells performance. Overall, we will show how much water-based photovoltaics represents a challenging topic in the current energy scenario, and how it will be able to provide safe, sustainable and easily processable solar cells for building-integrated photovoltaics and portable electronics.