An electrolytic capacitor containing a protective adhesive layer positioned between the dielectric layer and the solid electrolyte layer (e.g., a conductive polymer layer, manganese dioxide) is generally disclosed. The protective adhesive layer can include a polymer having a repeating unit with a functional hydroxyl group, such as poly(vinyl alcohol). For instance, the polymer can be at least 90 mole % hydrolyzed. The polyvinyl alcohol can be a co-polymer of vinyl alcohol and a monomer, such as an acrylic ester like a methacrylic ester (e.g., methyl methacrylate).