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Related Concept Videos

P-N junction01:11

P-N junction

A p-n junction is formed when p-type and n-type semiconductor materials are joined together. At the interface of the p-n junction, holes from the p-side and electrons from the n-side begin to diffuse into the opposite sides due to the concentration gradient. This diffusion of carriers leads to a region around the junction where there are no free charge carriers, known as the depletion region. The charge density within the depletion region for the n-side and p-side can be described by the...

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Developing High Performance GaP/Si Heterojunction Solar Cells
10:31

Developing High Performance GaP/Si Heterojunction Solar Cells

Published on: November 16, 2018

Solution-processed squaraine bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells.

Guodan Wei1, Siyi Wang, Kyle Renshaw

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.

ACS Nano
|April 3, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Small molecule bulk heterojunction solar cells using squaraine (SQ) and PC70BM donors/acceptors show promising efficiency. Nanoparticle morphology impacts performance, highlighting the need to optimize the SQ-to-PC70BM ratio for improved hole mobility and reduced resistance.

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Key Factors Affecting the Performance of Sb2S3-sensitized Solar Cells During an Sb2S3 Deposition via SbCl3-thiourea Complex Solution-processing

Published on: July 16, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Organic Electronics
  • Photovoltaics

Background:

  • Development of efficient, solution-processed small-molecule bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is crucial for renewable energy.
  • Squaraine (SQ) dyes and fullerene derivatives like PC70BM are promising materials for BHJ active layers.
  • Controlling nanomorphology and charge transport properties is key to optimizing BHJ solar cell performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the performance of solution-processed BHJ photovoltaic cells utilizing a novel SQ donor and PC70BM acceptor.
  • To analyze the impact of varying SQ-to-PC70BM ratios on nanomorphology, exciton dissociation, and hole mobility.
  • To understand the relationship between film nanomorphology and overall device power conversion efficiency (PCE).

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of BHJ solar cells using 2,4-bis[4-(N,N-diisobutylamino)-2,6-dihydroxyphenyl] squaraine (SQ) as the donor and [6,6]-phenyl C70 butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) as the acceptor.
  • Systematic variation of the SQ-to-PC70BM component ratio in the active layer.
  • Characterization of photovoltaic performance under simulated 1 sun AM1.5 G illumination.
  • Analysis of nanomorphology and hole mobility as a function of component ratio.

Main Results:

  • A BHJ solar cell with a 1:6 SQ:PC70BM ratio achieved a PCE of 2.7% at 1 sun, with a short-circuit current density of 8.85 mA/cm² and open-circuit voltage of 0.89 V.
  • PCE decreased at higher light intensities (3.3% at 0.2 sun), and was lower than a control planar heterojunction SQ/C60 cell (4.1% at 1 sun).
  • Hole mobility and nanomorphology were strongly dependent on the SQ:PC70BM ratio, increasing significantly with higher SQ content.

Conclusions:

  • The nanomorphology of the solution-processed thin film introduces internal resistance, limiting the PCE of the SQ/PC70BM BHJ solar cells.
  • Optimizing the SQ-to-PC70BM ratio is critical for balancing exciton dissociation and hole mobility, thereby improving device performance.
  • Further research into morphology control is needed to overcome internal resistance and enhance the efficiency of small-molecule BHJ solar cells.