Thienylsilane-modified indium tin oxide as an anodic interface in polymer/fullerene solar cells

The generation and characterization of a robust thienylsilane molecular layer on indium tin oxide substrates was investigated. The molecular layer was found to reduce the oxidation potential required for the electrochemical polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene. The resulting electrochemically prepared poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(p-styrenesulfonate) (ePEDOT:PSS) films were found to be more uniform in coverage with lower roughness and higher conductivity than analogous films fabricated with bare ITO. A relative improvement in the efficiency of 2,5-diyl-poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/[6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk heterojunction solar cells was observed when devices were formed on thienylsilane-modified ITO electrodes, rather than unmodified ITO control electrodes.