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Toward Efficient Thick Active PTB7 Photovoltaic Layers Using Diphenyl Ether as a Solvent Additive
Yifan Zheng1, Tenghooi Goh2, Pu Fan1
1State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) , Chengdu 610054, P. R. China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|June 3, 2016
Summary
Diphenyl ether (DPE) additive enables thicker organic photovoltaics (OPVs) with significantly improved power conversion efficiency (PCE). This breakthrough addresses limitations in OPV manufacturing and performance for thicker active layers.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- Thick organic photovoltaics (OPVs) offer potential for increased light absorption and simplified manufacturing.
- Efficiency in low-bandgap OPVs typically declines with active layer thickness over ~100 nm due to poor crystallinity and short exciton diffusion lengths.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of diphenyl ether (DPE) as a solvent additive to enable thicker active layers in OPVs.
- To enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of thienothiophene-co-benzodithiophene polymer (PTB7)-based OPVs.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of thick (180 nm) active layers in PTB7-based OPVs using DPE as a solvent additive.
- Morphological characterization to understand the impact of DPE on the active layer structure.
- Performance evaluation of OPV devices, comparing DPE-modified devices with conventional ones.
Main Results:
- DPE facilitated the fabrication of 180 nm thick active layers, tripling the PCE from 1.75% to 6.19%.
- The DPE-enhanced PCE was 20% higher than devices fabricated with 1,8-diiodooctane.
- Morphology studies showed DPE promotes nanofibrillar networks and ordered PTB7 packing, improving charge transport.
- DPE enhanced fill factor and photocurrent by improving optical absorption, reducing series resistance, and suppressing recombination.
Conclusions:
- Diphenyl ether is an effective solvent additive for fabricating high-efficiency thick organic photovoltaic active layers.
- DPE improves morphology, charge transport, and overall device performance in PTB7-based OPVs.
- This approach overcomes key limitations in developing efficient, thick-film organic solar cells.
