Organic photovoltaic bulk heterojunctions with spatially varying composition

Abstract

Models of organic bulk heterojunction photovoltaics, which include the effect of spatially varying composition of donor/acceptor materials, are developed and analyzed. Analytic expressions for the current-voltage relation in simplified cases show that the effect of varying blend composition on charge transport is minimal. Numerical results for various blend compositions, including the experimentally relevant composition of a donor-rich region near the cathode (a “skin layer” of donor material) show that the primary effect of this variation on device performance derives from its effect on photocharge generation. The general relation between the geometry of the blend and its effect on performance is given explicitly. The analysis shows that the effect of a skin layer on device performance is small.