Four surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyethylene glycol (PEG(200)) and polysorbate 80 (TW-80), were added to disperse Fe3O4 nanoparticles in agarose based magnetic polymer electrolyte, for the purpose of improving the performance of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to characterize the interactions between surfactants and magnetic polymer electrolyte. TW-80 and PEG(200) showed good dispersion properties according to surface morphology tests. Through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study, the ionic conductivity, charge transfer resistance, charge recombination resistance and electron lifetime of polymer electrolytes were all improved by modification, while TW-80 modified electrolyte reached the highest ionic conductivity of 2.98 x 10(-3) S/cm. Moreover, the photoelectric properties were also significantly enhanced and the best energy conversion efficiency achieved 1.83% with TW-80 modification. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.