Characterization of polymer bulk heterojunction photocell with unmodified C70 prepared with halogen-free solvent for indoor light harvesting

Abstract

Although photocells are commonly characterized under AM1.5G 100 mW cm−2 (1 sun) illumination, their performance under low light illumination is also important, because photocells are frequently used for indoor applications. In this study, polymer photocells based on a bulk heterojunction composite consisting of a low energy gap polymer PTB7 and unmodified C70 prepared with a halogen-free solvent 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene have been characterized under the illumination of 1 sun or below. A typical photocell with the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4% at 1 sun shows the PCE of approximately 7% at 10−3 sun, which seems to fit for some indoor applications such as a permanent power source for a wireless sensor node. The sublinear dependence of short-circuit photocurrent on light intensity as well as the increase of fill-factor under low light illumination yields the increased efficiency under low light illumination. An analysis employing a one-diode equivalent circuit model suggests that the increased parallel resistance as well as the decreased saturation current of the diode under low light illumination accounts for the latter feature. It is also pointed out that the parallel resistance and/or the saturation current under dark strongly influence the PCE of a photocell under low light illumination. In addition, the dependence of the device performance on the light intensity is found to be useful for analyzing the effects of the thermal treatment and the PFN interlayer at cathode.