Improving the efficiency of the organic solar cell (CuPc/C60) via PEDOT: PSS as a photoconductor layer doped by silver nanoparticles

Abstract

In this work, the efficiency of organic photovoltaic cells (OPV) based on copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) as donor/fullerene (C60) as an acceptor was improved via Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):Polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as (photoconductor transport layer) embedded by silver nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared using a thermochemical method. The change of the surface plasmonic band position of AgNPs has been explained by the Uv-Vis spectra. Different sizes and shapes of AgNPs have been confirmed from images of a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Thin films of PEDOT: PSS embedded by different sizes and shapes of AgNPs were made on glass/ITO using Spin Coater. The last two layers of CuPc and C60 were precipitated using a vacuum evaporation technique. The study of the prepared junction film using AFM showed a morphological smooth on the surface layers due to the good distribution of AgNPs. Cell efficiency of OPV was improved from 0.663 to 0.925 with increasing the particle sizes of AgNPs from 43 nm to 57 nm. The increase in VOC, ISC, and fill factor with increasing the particle size can be attributed to the increase in scattering light and the built-in electric field that generate due to surface plasmon resonance around AgNPs embedded in PEDOT:PSS. The scattering increases the excitons (e-h) generation and built-in electric field dissociation these excitons to e- and h+ and move to terminal connection and improved the cell efficiency.