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Printing Fabrication of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells and In Situ Morphology Characterization
Published on: January 29, 2017
Nano-scale ZnO buffer layer for inkjet-printed polymer solar cells
Seung Hun Eom1, S Senthilarasu, Sung Cheol Yoon
1School of Semiconductor and Chemical Engineering, Research Center of Industrial Technology, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, Korea.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
|February 10, 2009
Summary
A zinc oxide (ZnO) buffer layer improves polymer solar cell performance by enabling uniform silver cathode deposition. This addresses the challenge of coating hydrophilic silver ink onto hydrophobic polymer layers for efficient energy conversion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Energy Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Polymer solar cells (PSCs) face challenges with cathode fabrication due to surface incompatibilities.
- Hydrophilic silver ink cannot be directly coated on hydrophobic P3HT:PCBM active layers in PSCs.
- This limits the performance and scalability of PSCs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of a zinc oxide (ZnO) buffer layer in polymer solar cells.
- To overcome the surface hydrophobicity issue for improved silver cathode deposition.
- To compare the performance of PSCs with and without the ZnO buffer layer.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of PSCs with the configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM/ZnO/Ag.
- Preparation of ZnO nanoparticles using a simple solution method with polyethylene glycol (PEG) surfactant.
- Inkjet printing of silver (Ag) cathode using silver ink.
- Performance evaluation of PSCs with and without the ZnO buffer layer.
Main Results:
- The ZnO buffer layer facilitates uniform inkjet printing of the silver cathode.
- Improved interfacial contact between the active layer and the cathode is achieved.
- The presence of the ZnO buffer layer significantly impacts the overall performance of the polymer solar cells.
Conclusions:
- Zinc oxide serves as an effective buffer layer in polymer solar cells.
- The ZnO buffer layer successfully addresses the challenge of silver ink adhesion.
- This approach offers a viable strategy for enhancing PSC fabrication and performance.
