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Abstract
This work investigates the deposition of hybrid layers, for next generation in energy conversion, via spray coating. Understanding the effect that this deposition procedure has on these layers could lead to the rapid development of these technologies, for both laboratory applications and commercialisation. Synthesised zinc ethyl xanthate and poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) was spray-coated on substrates and heated to a temperature of 160 °C, to the hybrid film. Optical, morphological and conductive properties of these films were investigated and linked to the spray coating duration. It was revealed that shorter-duration spray times led to relatively low conductivity and smoother films, moreover, an increase in spraying duration also led to an increase in conductivity, but with increased roughness, from 6.178 nm to 8.317 nm. As the spray time was further increased factors, including film layering effects, led to a gradual decrease in conductivity accompanied by a decrease in the roughness. Smoother films were shown to result in higher light absorption, characterised by wider band gaps, which could be due to the crystal structure of the inorganic phase. The controllability of this rapid, facile, and inexpensive spray deposition process was then demonstrated in fabrication of prototype photovoltaic devices.
Highlights
Thin film metal chalcogenide/organic materials have been extensively studied in photovoltaics [1,2,3,4,5]
The current understanding, of the growth of thin films during spray deposition is low, and it is important to better understand how the spray coating process can be modified to have a higher level of control on the morphology of the active layers to further improve the applicability of this technique [10]
Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) images of the ZnS:P3HT Bulk Heterojunctions (BHJs) were collected at various deposition times
Summary
Thin film metal chalcogenide/organic materials have been extensively studied in photovoltaics [1,2,3,4,5] These active layers can be deposited through various methods, including spin coating [5,6,7] and spray coating [5, 7]. This work focuses on the synthesis of zinc sulphide, a low toxicity, wide band gap semiconductor [19, 20], via decomposition of zinc ethyl xanthate precursors (ZnXan), dispersed in a poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) matrix using spray coating deposition, without using a surfactant layer [21] Using this single source precursor simplifies the method for producing these active layers, allowing for a one step deposition method [11]. The effects of the variations in the structural features on the resulting optical and electronic properties of the prepared films were tested by using the films as active layers in prototype hybrid photovoltaic BHJ devices
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