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Morphology Control for Fully Printable Organic–Inorganic Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells Based on a Ti-alkoxide and Semiconducting Polymer
Published on: January 10, 2017
Efficiency enhancement in low-bandgap polymer solar cells by processing with alkane dithiols.
1Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
Nature Materials
|May 29, 2007
Summary
Researchers enhanced plastic solar cell efficiency from 2.8% to 5.5% by adding alkanedithiols to control bulk heterojunction morphology. This method offers a new way to improve photovoltaic performance without thermal annealing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photovoltaics
- Organic Electronics
Background:
- Plastic solar cells offer low-cost fabrication and flexibility, but achieving high power-conversion efficiency is limited by challenges in controlling donor/acceptor morphology in bulk heterojunctions.
- Current methods for morphological control, such as thermal annealing, are not always effective or desirable for all material systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel method for controlling bulk heterojunction morphology in plastic solar cells.
- To enhance the power-conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices through solution processing additives.
Main Methods:
- Incorporation of small volume percentages (a few percent) of alkanedithiols into the precursor solution for spin-casting films.
- Fabrication of bulk heterojunction films using a low-bandgap polymer and a fullerene derivative.
- Characterization of photovoltaic cells under standard test conditions (air-mass 1.5 global).
Main Results:
- The power-conversion efficiency of the plastic solar cells increased significantly, from 2.8% to 5.5%.
- The addition of alkanedithiols was shown to alter the bulk heterojunction morphology, leading to improved device performance.
- This approach provides a viable alternative to thermal annealing for morphological control.
Conclusions:
- Alkanedithiols can be effectively used as additives to control morphology in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells.
- This method presents a promising strategy for boosting the efficiency of plastic photovoltaics.
- The findings open new avenues for developing efficient and cost-effective organic solar cells, especially for applications where thermal processing is not feasible.
