Photovoltaic technologies represent one of the leading research areas of solar energy which is one of the most powerful renewable alternatives of fossil fuels. In a common photovoltaic application the batteries play a key role in storage of energy generated by solar panels. Although it will take time for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and batteries based on biopolymer electrolytes to take their places in the market, laboratory studies prove that they have a lot to offer. Most efficient DSSCs and batteries available in market are based on liquid electrolytes. The advantages of liquid electrolytes are having high conductivity and good electrode-electrolyte interface whereas, disadvantages like corrosion and evaporation limit their future sustainability. Biopolymer electrolytes are proposed as novel alternatives which may overcome the problems stated above. In this review, we focus on fabrication, working principle as well as up to date status of DSSCs and batteries using biopolymer electrolytes. The effects of structural and electrical properties of biopolymer based electrolytes on the solar energy conversion efficiencies of DSSCs and their compatibility with lithium or other salts in battery applications are summarized. Biopolymer electrolyte based DSSCs are categorized on the basis of types of additives and recent outcomes of author's laboratory studies on biopolymer electrolyte based DSSCs and batteries are also presented.2221 support program of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey; Department of Science AMP; Technology Government of India (DST/TSG/PT/2012/51-C

Gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) comprising a low viscosity ionic liquid, that is, 1-propyl-3-methyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide (PMI-TFSI, viscosity 38 cP at 20°C) and a polymer, that is, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have been prepared using solution cast technique and characterized by impedance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Blending PMI-TFSI with PVA matrix hindered the crystallinity of polymer matrix and presented remarkable enhancement in electrical conductivity with a conductivity maxima at 250 wt% PMI-TFSI. The prepared electric double-layer capacitor using single-walled carbon nanotube as symmetric electrodes and PVA:250 wt% PMI-TFSI as GPE presented a capacitance value of about 28 F g⁻¹.

We report optical and electrochemical properties of polyether derivatives of perylenediimides (PDIs) thin films formed in various materials (semiconductor, insulator, amorphous and self-assembly). Perylenediimides adsorbed on nanocrystalline TiO2(NT) nanocrystalline alumina (NA), amorphous silicon (PS) and neat self-assemblied (SA) films were prepared and characterized based on spectroscopic, electrochemical, spectro-electrochemical techniques. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of PDIs in chloroform exhibit vibronic features. The fluorescence quantum yields (Uf) of PDIs with end amino substituents in chloroform solutions are over 0.95, while the quantum yield of triethoxyphenyl substituted PDIUfvalue is 0.024 in solution. Optical spectroscopy proves that PDIs in metal oxide thin films form aggregated type complexes. An electrochromism, a color change from red to blue/violet, is observed on metal oxide films, that indicates existence of mono and dianion forms of PDIs. Reversibility of electrochemical reductions in NT film depends on the scanning rate. However, electrochromism in NA films is stable and reversibility is independent from scanning rate. Stable mono and diaionic species are formed on NA films. SA films show broad absorption peaks during the voltammetric scan. On the other hand, the first reduction onset potentials of PDIs are almost equal to the onset potential of capacitive current of TiO2which lead to low efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells