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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Well-aligned Vertically Oriented ZnO Nanorod Arrays and their Application in Inverted Small Molecule Solar Cells
Published on: April 25, 2018
Highly efficient inverted polymer solar cells based on a cross-linkable water-/alcohol-soluble conjugated polymer
Kai Zhang1, Chengmei Zhong, Shengjian Liu
1Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510641, P. R. China.
A new cross-linkable polymer enhances inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs) by tuning work function and improving electron extraction. This leads to higher power conversion efficiency and fill factor in PSC devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- Developing efficient and stable inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs) is crucial for renewable energy.
- Interface engineering plays a key role in optimizing PSC performance.
- Understanding the working mechanism of interfacial layers is essential for device improvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize a novel cross-linkable water/alcohol soluble conjugated polymer (WSCP), PFN-OX.
- To investigate the working mechanism of PFN-OX as an interfacial layer in high-efficiency inverted PSCs.
- To optimize PSC performance by enhancing the hole-blocking capability of the PFN-OX interlayer.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of the cross-linkable polymer PFN-OX.
- Fabrication of inverted PSCs using a PTB7:PC71BM active layer and PFN-OX interlayer.
- Characterization of PSC performance, including open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF).
- Investigation of the effects of PFN-OX on cathode work function, electron extraction, and hole blocking.
Main Results:
- PFN-OX effectively tunes the cathode work function, enhancing Voc.
- PFN-OX facilitates electron extraction by doping the PC71BM layer at the interface.
- PFN-OX acts as an electron transporter and hole blocker, improving FF.
- Addition of a ZnO layer further enhanced hole blocking, leading to a power conversion efficiency of 9.28% and FF of 74.4%.
Conclusions:
- The designed WSCP, PFN-OX, significantly improves inverted PSC performance through multiple mechanisms.
- PFN-OX enables better interface control and understanding of PSC working principles.
- Further optimization by incorporating ZnO demonstrates a viable strategy for high-performance PSCs.
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