Clay modified electrolyte for a dye-sensitized solar cell

A gel-like or solid electrolyte comprising (i) an electrolyte solution containing an electrolyte dissolved in an organic solvent, (ii) a lamellar clay mineral and/or an organically modified lamellar clay mineral and (iii) a polyvalent onium salt compound, wherein the polyvalent onium salt compound is at least one salt selected from the group consisting of compounds having the formulae (I) to (III)

• wherein R1 to R3 may be the same or different and indicate an alkyl group, cycloalkyl group, hydroxyalkyl group, alkoxyalkyl group, aryl group or hydroxyaryl group, where a part or all of R1 to R3 may be bonded with each other to form a ring, which may have a nitrogen atom, which may have an unsaturated bond and/or may have a substituent group, X is an anion, Q indicates a nitrogen atom or a phosphorus atom, Y1 is a hydrocarbon group which may contain a hetero atom and m is an integer of 2 or more;
• wherein R4 to R7 may be the same or different and indicate an alkyl group, cycloalkyl group, hydroxyalkyl group, alkoxyalkyl group, aryl group or hydroxyaryl group, where R4 and R5 may be bonded with each other and form a ring which may have a nitrogen atom, which may have an unsaturated bond and/or which may have a substituent group, R6 and R7 may also be bonded to each other to form a ring, which may have a nitrogen atom, which may have an unsaturated bond and/or which may have a substituent group, Q indicates a nitrogen atom or a phosphorus atom, X is an anion, Y2 and Y3 may be the same or different and indicate a hydrocarbon group which contains a hetero atom and n is an integer of 1 or more);
• wherein a ring A indicates an aromatic ring of five or six members, the atoms forming the ring A may include a nitrogen atom, oxygen atom or sulfur atom, Q indicates a nitrogen atom or phosphorus atom, X is an anion, Y2 and Y3 may be the same or different and indicate a hydrocarbon group which contains a hetero atom and p is an integer of 1 or more.