Question

I'm helping my son build a dye-sensitized solar cell for his school project according to the directions on homemade-circuits.com. We're currently in the process of gathering the necessary materials. So far, we salvaged the conductive gas from an LCD of a broken digital picture frame, purchased a small amount of titanium dioxide, and abstained from devouring the last of our frozen raspberries. Unfortunately, we're experiencing difficulty sourcing the final ingredient, the electrolyte.

The instructions call for an iodine solution of 65% ethanol, but don't elaborate on it other than to state: results may be below average compared to commercially available redox electrolyte. Other resources we encountered suggest using potassium iodide combined with other chemicals. It's all daunting considering I have a high school understanding of chemistry.

Is there a relatively easy-to-find and easy-to-prepare alternative we can use instead?

Answer 1

For a dye-sensitized solar cell project, if you can't find the iodine solution with ethanol, you can use a potassium iodide-based alternative electrolyte. To prepare the alternative electrolyte, mix potassium iodide with water, sodium iodide, and baking soda.

Step-by-step explanation:

For your dye-sensitized solar cell project, if you're having difficulty finding the iodine solution with ethanol, there is a relatively easy-to-find and easy-to-prepare alternative that you can use. Instead of the iodine solution, you can use a simple potassium iodide solution combined with a few other chemicals.

To prepare the alternative electrolyte, you will need to mix potassium iodide (KI) with water and add a small amount of sodium iodide (NaI) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). By dissolving these chemicals in water, you can create an electrolyte solution that can be used in your dye-sensitized solar cell.

Here is a step-by-step process to prepare the alternative electrolyte:

1. Dissolve potassium iodide (KI) in water. The concentration can vary, but a commonly used concentration is 0.1 M.
2. Add a small amount of sodium iodide (NaI) to the potassium iodide solution. The exact amount can vary, but a common ratio is 1:10 (KI:NaI) based on molar concentration.
3. Add a small amount of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to the solution. The exact amount can vary, but a common ratio is 1:10 (KI:baking soda) based on molar concentration.
4. Mix the solution well until all the chemicals are dissolved.