solid-state electrolyte in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells: a systematic review

The inherent limitations of liquid electrolytes - including leakage, volatility, and thermal instability - have driven the development of solid-state electrolytes (sses) for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (dsscs). this systematic review evaluates recent advances (2021-2024) in sse technologies through comprehensive analysis of 30 peer-reviewed studies identified via prisma methodology across scopus and web of science. three key innovation pathways emerge: (1) polymer/gel electrolyte formulations achieving ionic conductivities up to 15.7 ms/cm, (2) hybrid architectures incorporating nanomaterials and liquid crystals, and (3) bio-derived electrolytes from sustainable sources. while maximum reported power conversion efficiencies reach 10.34% in optimized systems (average 7.2±1.8% across studies), critical challenges remain in ion transport kinetics (typically 1-10 ms/cm) and manufacturing scalability. the analysis identifies interfacial engineering and novel composite materials as priority research directions to bridge the performance-reliability gap for commercial deployment. these findings provide a strategic roadmap for developing next-generation flexible photovoltaics that combine high efficiency (>8% target) with mechanical durability.