Original Power Conversion Efficiency Research Articles

Work Function Control of Interfacial Buffer Layers for Efficient and Air‐Stable Inverted Low‐Bandgap Organic Photovoltaics

AbstractA water‐soluble cationic polythiophene derivative, poly[3‐(6‐{4‐tert‐butylpyridiniumyl}‐hexyl)thiophene‐2,5‐diyl] [P3(TBP)HT], is combined with anionic poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(p‐styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates via electrostatic layer‐by‐layer (eLbL) assembly. By varying the number of eLbL layers, the electrode's work function is precisely controlled from 4.6 to 3.8 eV. These polymeric coatings are used as cathodic interfacial modifiers for inverted‐mode organic photovoltaics that incorporate a photoactive layer composed of either poly[(3‐hexylthiophene)‐2,5‐diyl] (P3HT) and the fullerene acceptor [6,6‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) or the low bandgap polymer [poly({4,8‐di(2‐ethylhexyloxyl)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene}‐2,6‐diyl)‐alt‐({5‐octylthieno[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐4,6‐dione}‐1,3‐diyl) (PBDTTPD)] and the electron acceptor [6,6‐phenyl‐C71‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM)]. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the resulting photovoltaic device is dependent on the composition of the eLbL‐assembled interface and permits the fabrication of devices with efficiencies of 3.8% and 5.6% for P3HT and PBDTTPD donor polymers, respectively. Notably, these devices demonstrate significant stability with a P3HT:PC61BM system maintaining 83% of its original PCE after 1 year of storage and a PBDTTPD:PC71BM system maintaining 97% of its original PCE after over 1000 h of storage in air, according to the ISOS‐D‐1 shelf protocol.

Enhanced photocurrent and stability of inverted polymer/ZnO-nanorod solar cells by 3-hydroxyflavone additive

Both the performance and stability are the two major tasks for scientists to tackle in polymer solar cells. We introduce 3-hydroxyflavone (3-HF), a free-radical scavenging agent, as an additive in poly(3-hexythiophene):(6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) blend forming new photoactive material, which is used as an active layer in inverted solar cell devices. It was found that the addition of an adequate amount of 3-HF enhances the photocurrent, which is due to the improved carrier mobility. A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the device has improved from 2.57% to 3.05%. In addition, 3-HF can further stabilize the inverted solar cell performance with a 85% retaining of its original PCE over a month in ambient condition as compared to the additive-free device of a value of 57%. Thus, incorporating 3-HF as an additive is an effective and simple method to approach the goal of high PCE while maintaining stable ambient operation.

Finely Tailored Performance of Inverted Organic Photovoltaics through Layer-by-Layer Interfacial Engineering

Control over interfacial properties in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) is critical for many aspects of their performance. Functionalization of the transparent conducting electrode, in this case, indium tin oxide (ITO), through an electrostatic layer by layer (eLbL) approach with cationic N,N'-bis[2-(trimethylammonium)ethylene] perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide (PTCDI(+)) and anionic poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(p-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS(-)), led to high control over the surface properties. The films were studied through a variety of surface and spectroscopic techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-visible spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ellipsometry. The work function of modified ITO was measured by UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and showed oscillating values with respect to odd-even layer numbers; the strong odd-even effect is due to the differing electronic characteristics of the top layer, either PTCDI(+) or PEDOT:PSS(-). The modified ITO electrodes were then used as the cathode in a series of inverted organic photovoltaic architectures. The performance of inverted OPVs was, in parallel to the UPS results, found to be highly dependent on the layer number of coated films and showed an obvious oscillation based on layer number. Inverted OPVs were retested after 128 days of storage in air, and almost all devices maintained over 70% of original power conversion efficiency (PCE).