High-performance inverted polymer solar cells based on thin copper film

Abstract

We report the fabrication of cost-effective indium-free polymer solar cells (PSCs) with an inverted structure that incorporates an ultrathin copper (Cu) film as a bottom cathode via thermal evaporation. The average optical transmittance of the 15-nm Cu coated glass substrate in the visible region of the spectrum was found to be around 80% with a highest value of 84.5%. The Cu electrode was modified by an interfacial layer of an alcohol-/water-soluble conjugated polymer, poly[(9,9-bis(3’-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)] (PFN) interlayer to ensure a very smooth surface. Upon the use of the PFN interfacial layer, the work function of Cu was decreased from 4.68 to 4.31 eV, which can form an Ohmic contact with photoactive layer and facilitate electrode transport and extraction. As a result, a power conversion efficiency of 3.6% was achieved when poly[N-9’-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4’,7’-di-2-thienyl-2’,1’,3’-benzothiadiazole)] and a [6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester blend were utilized as the photoactive layers, demonstrating that the thermally evaporated Cu thin-film electrode can be a promising candidate to replace indium tin oxide for highly efficient PSCs.