Inverted organic solar cells with ZnO nanowalls prepared using wet chemical etching in a KOH solution

We report on the photovoltaic (PV) performances of inverted organic solar cells (IOSCs) that were fabricated from PCBM:P3HT polymer with a ZnO thin film and ZnO nanowalls as electron transport and hole block layers. ZnO thin film on ITO/glass substrate was deposited using a simply aqueous solution route. ZnO nanowall structures were obtained via wet chemical etching of ZnO thin films in a KOH solution. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the IOSC with ZnO nanowalls was significantly improved by 44% from 1.254% to 1.811% compared to that of the IOSC with ZnO thin film. The short circuit current in IOSCs fabricated with the ZnO nanowalls was increased mainly due to the increase in the charge transport interface area, as a result of enhancement in the PCE. This work suggests a method for fabricating efficient PV devices with a larger charge transport area for future prospects.