Enhancing Performance and Stability of PEDOT:PSS-Based Organic-Inorganic Planar Heterojunction Solar Cells through...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Organic Electronics

Background:

• PEDOT:PSS is a common hole-transport layer in organic-inorganic solar cells.
• Improving its conductivity and stability is crucial for device performance.
• Dimethyl sulfone (DMSO2) is explored as a potential additive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of dimethyl sulfone (DMSO2) on PEDOT:PSS films.
• To enhance the performance and long-term stability of organic-inorganic planar heterojunction solar cells.

Main Methods:

• Treatment of PEDOT:PSS films with DMSO2, ethylene glycol, and methanol.
• Fabrication of organic-inorganic planar heterojunction solar cells.
• Characterization using van der Pauw conductivity, AFM, XPS, and ToF-SIMS.

Main Results:

• DMSO2 treatment induced morphological reorganization, enhancing PEDOT chain alignment and conductivity.
• Devices with ethylene glycol and DMSO2 (ED2) showed improved stability (T80 ≈ 913 h) and PCE (13.5%).
• Devices with ethylene glycol, methanol, and DMSO2 (EMD2) achieved the highest PCE (15.5%) and good stability (T80 ≈ 261 h).

Conclusions:

• Dimethyl sulfone (DMSO2) is an effective additive for enhancing PEDOT:PSS performance and stability.
• Optimized PEDOT:PSS films improve morphology, wettability, and energy band alignment in solar cells.
• DMSO2 presents a promising green additive for advanced solar cell applications.