Flexible Memristive Organic Solar Cell Using Multilayer 2D Titanium Carbide MXene Electrodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Energy Science

Background:

• Hybrid systems are crucial for wearable electronics, green energy, and miniaturization.
• MXenes are advanced 2D materials with unique properties suitable for diverse applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flexible, transparent, and conductive electrode (FTCE) for inverted organic solar cells (OSCs).
• To integrate memory and learning functionalities into OSCs using a novel MXene-based electrode structure.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a multilayer hybrid MXene/Ag/MXene structure for the FTCE.
• Characterization of the FTCE's optical, electrical, and mechanical properties.
• Integration of the FTCE into an inverted organic solar cell and evaluation of its photovoltaic and memristive performance.

Main Results:

• The optimized FTCE demonstrated high transmittance (84%), low sheet resistance (9.7 Ω sq⁻¹), and excellent flexibility (2000 bending cycles).
• The resulting organic solar cell achieved a power conversion efficiency of 13.86% with sustained performance.
• The memristive OSC (MemOSC) exhibited reliable resistive switching, low operating voltages, high ON/OFF ratio (10³), and stable endurance (4 × 10³ cycles).

Conclusions:

• MXene-based electrodes are promising for creating highly efficient OSCs with integrated memristive functions.
• The developed MemOSC can mimic biological synaptic functionalities, suggesting potential for future intelligent solar cell modules.