Influence of doped PEDOT:PSS on the performance of polymer solar cells

The influence of anode buffer layers of doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) on the performance of solar cells made from blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-buytyric acid methyl ester has been investigated. Different concentration of ethylene glycol were added into the PEDOT:PSS solution to increase its conductivity. The surface roughness of the doped PEDOT:PSS film was changed, which was examined by atomic force microscopy. The best doped device with a power conversion efficiency of 4.39% as compared to 3.41% for the pristine device has been achieved. The enhanced PEDOT:PSS conductivity improved the short circuit current and fill factor of the doped device. The almost constant open circuit voltage indicated the well-established ohmic contact between the anode and active layer irrespective of the doping of the PEDOT:PSS. The changed surface roughness of the doped PEDOT:PSS film did not correlate with the morphology of the consequent active layer and the resultant device performance.     

Effects of solvent-treated PEDOT:PSS on organic photovoltaic devices

We investigated the effects of poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films treated with methoxyethanol (ME) on the performance of polymer solar cells, and the effects were compared with the PEDOT:PSS films treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). In particular, a correlation between the performance parameters of polymer solar cells and changes in the conductivity, surface morphology, and work function of treated PEDOT:PSS was investigated as a function of an added ME and DMSO ratio. The enhanced conductivity of the treated PEDOT:PSS improved the short circuit current and reduced the series resistance of solar cells. While the enhanced conductivity and surface roughness of the treated PEDOT:PSS also induced the large leakage current and sacrificed the device FF. The open circuit voltage was almost constant, although the slightly reduced voltage was observed.     

All solution processed tandem polymer solar cells based on thermocleavable materials

Multilayer tandem polymer solar cells were prepared by solution processing using thermocleavable polymer materials that allow for conversion to an insoluble state through a short thermal treatment. The problems associated with solubility during application of subsequent layers in the stack were efficiently solved. Devices comprised a transparent front cathode based on solution processed zinc oxide nanoparticles, a large band gap active layer based on a bulk heterojunction between zinc oxide and poly(3-carboxydithiophene) (P3CT) followed by a layer of PEDOT:PSS processed from water. The second cell in the stack employed a zinc oxide front cathode processed on top of the PEDOT:PSS layer from an organic solvent, a low band gap active layer based on a bulk heterojunction between zinc oxide and the novel poly(carboxyterthiophene-co-diphenylthienopyrazine) (P3CTTP) followed by a layer of PEDOT:PSS again processed from water and finally a printed silver electrode. The devices were prepared without the use of fullerenes and vacuum steps and employ only thermal treatments and orthogonal solvents. The devices exhibited operational stability in air without any form of encapsulation.     

Improvement in stability of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)/[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester bulk heterojunction solar cell by using UV light irradiation

A study of organic solar cells based on photoactive blends of the conjugated regioregular-poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with different UV-light treatments is presented. As expected, air exposure of an unencapsulated P3HT:PCBM solar cell is observed to result in rapid degradation of device efficiency. In order to ease this degradation, we found that exposing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) to UV light may reduce the degradation and preserve good performance. Samples with PEDOT:PSS exposed to UV light show better long-run stability than the pristine cells. The active layer exposed to UV light shows the poorest performance and degrades rapidly. From the initial value, the efficiency decreased by 56% and 35% for pristine cells and cells with PEDOT:PSS exposed to UV light, respectively. It has been found that device half-life was 650 and 400 h for the samples with and without UV treatment, respectively. The trend in device performance was explained by observed changes in work function of the PEDOT:PSS layer and decreased absorption intensity of P3HT:PCBM.     

PEDOT:PSS对PEDOT:PSS/Si杂化太阳电池性能影响的研究

聚合物poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate(PEDOT:PSS)是一种具有高电导率和良好透过性的p型半导体材料。PEDOT:PSS/Si杂化太阳电池由于具有较低的工艺温度,且工艺简单而具有一定的前景。在这种杂化太阳电池结构中,PEDOT:PSS的光学、电学性质对器件性能有重要影响。分别从PEDOT:PSS退火工艺、溶液二次掺杂(二甲基亚砜)的含量以及PEDOT:PSS薄膜厚度3个方面对薄膜的光、电特性以及器件性能的影响进行研究,并优化相关工艺。根据这些优化的参数,最终得到6.63%的太阳电池转化效率(太阳电池面积为2.25 cm^2)。     

ITO-free low-cost organic solar cells with highly conductive poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene): p-toluene sulfonate anodes

Indium tin oxide (ITO)-free organic solar cells were fabricated with highly conductive and transparent tosylate-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene: p-toluene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PTS) anodes of various thicknesses that were prepared by the vapor-phase oxidative polymerization of EDOT using Fe(PTS)₃ as an oxidant. Both solution-processable layers - PEDOT:PSS and photoactive P3HT:PCBM - were spin coated. The anodes transmittance and conductivity varied with thickness. Power conversion efficiency was maximized at 1.4%. The ITO-free organic solar cells photovoltaic characteristics are qualitatively compared with those of ITO-based organic solar cells to explore the possibility of replacing costly, vacuum-deposited ITO with highly conductive, patterned polymer films fabricated by inexpensive vapor-phase polymerization.     

一种聚合物/C60异质结有机太阳电池

用MEH-PPV为给体(空穴传输)、C60为受体(电子传输)首先制备了分层和体异质结结构的两种器件,器件结构为ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MEH-PPV/C60/Al和ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MEH-PPV:C60/Al。之后又制备了结构为ITO/PE-DOT:PSS/MEH-PPV:C60/C60/Al的第3个器件。作者比较了这3种器件的光伏性质,发现器件3的短路电流密度(JSC)比器件1和器件2的分别增加了300%和150%,开路电压(VOC)分别增加了100%和20%。这主要是由于C60层增加了电子由受体传输到负电极的通道并增大了给体受体界面面积。另一原因是此C60层一定程度地阻挡了空穴从有机物向负极的传输,从而有效地改善了太阳电池的性能。     

Using modified poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): Poly(styrene sulfonate) film as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), assembling with nano-crystalline TiO₂ adsorbed cis-Ru(dcb)₂(NCS)₂ dye (known as N3) using polar solvent-treated poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) coating on a conductive glass (fluorine-doped tin oxide, FTO) as a counter electrode, were studied. The conductivity of a bare PEDOT:PSS film was only 2±0.05 S/cm. However, the conductivities of PEDOT:PSS films treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF), and dichloromethane (DMC) reached 85±15, 45±10, 36±7, and 20±6 S/cm, respectively. In addition, carbon blacks (0.02, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 wt% with respect to PEDOT:PSS aqueous solution) were added into the DMSO-treated PEDOT:PSS solution (denoted as DMSO-PEDOT:PSS) to enhance the conductivity. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of PEDOT:PSS and various DMSO-PEDOT:PSS films coated on the FTO glasses were examined. The topographical images reveal that the increased surface roughness is responsible for the enhanced electrochemical property of the DMSO-PEDOT:PSS films. AC impedance technique was also employed to analyze the kinetics at the electrolyte/counter electrode interface. The DSSC using carbon black (0.1 wt%)-modified DMSO-PEDOT:PSS conductive coating as a counter electrode reached a cell efficiency of 5.81% under 100 mW/cm². This efficiency is higher than a DSSC using Pt as a counter electrode (5.66%).     

Mechanical flexibility of transparent PEDOT:PSS electrodes prepared by gravure printing for flexible organic solar cells

The mechanical flexibility of transparent poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films printed onto a flexible PET substrate using a gravure printing method was investigated using a lab-made bending test system. Gravure-printed PEDOT:PSS electrodes with a sheet resistance of 359 Ω/square and a transparency of 88.92% showed outstanding flexibility in several types of flexibility tests, including outer/inner bending, twisting and stretching. Notably, the PEDOT:PSS electrode had a constant resistance change (ΔR/R₀) within an outer and inner bending radius of 10 mm. In addition the stretched PEDOT:PSS electrode showed a fairly constant resistance change (ΔR/R₀) up to 4%, which is more stable than the resistance change of conventional amorphous ITO electrode. The twisting test revealed that the resistance of the PEDOT:PSS electrode began to increase at an angle of 36° due to delamination of the film from the PET substrate. Despite the high sheet resistance of the PEDOT:PSS electrode the flexible organic solar cells fabricated on the PEDOT:PSS electrode showed a power conversion efficiency of ∼2% (FF: 44.9%, V_o: 0.495 V and J_sc: 9.1 mA/cm²), indicating the possibility of using gravure printed PEDOT:PSS as a flexible and transparent electrode for printing-based flexible organic solar cells.     

Effect of indium and tin contamination on the efficiency and electronic properties of organic bulk hetero-junction solar cells

Organic photovoltaic devices using an electrode of indium tin oxide (ITO) coated with a buffer layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) exposed to controlled humidity during fabrication showed a 65-75% decrease in efficiency and displayed S-shaped J-V curves, changes, which are attributed to different levels of indium and tin migration into the PEDOT:PSS film. A distinct shift in the secondary electron cut-off in the UV Photoelectron spectra (UPS) of ITO/PEDOT:PSS samples exposed to controlled humidity indicate an increase of the dipole at the ITO/PEDOT:PSS interface, which could explain the appearance of S-shaped J-V curves. Additionally, the electron density at low binding energies is reduced for the humidity exposed PEDOT:PSS suggesting a second mechanism for decreased device performance.     

Light-induced degradation of the P3HT-based solar cells active layer

We report on the effects of long-term artificial accelerated ageing on the active layer of organic solar cells in the absence of oxygen. The samples were composed of a bulk heterojunction formed by poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) deposited on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). First, a set of experiments was performed to study the modifications resulting from prolonged exposure to UV-vis light. A gradual decrease in absorbance was recorded, and TEM results clearly indicated that the initial morphology was unstable upon long irradiation times. Second, we revealed that the annealing temperature of PEDOT:PSS strongly influenced the degradation of the active layer. Indeed, an increase in the PEDOT:PSS annealing temperature resulted in an important improvement in stability. Third, a comparison was made between different active layers obtained by changing the P3HT type, polymer:fullerene weight ratio and solvent nature. As expected, the polymer:fullerene weight ratio was shown to significantly impact the degradation kinetics. The ageing effects on the photovoltaic properties were then explored, and extrapolation of the data to outdoor exposure is also discussed.     

Degradation of organic solar cells due to air exposure

We present a study of dark air-exposure degradation of organic solar cells based on photoactive blends of the conjugated polymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(3′,7′-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MDMO-PPV) with [6,6]-phenyl C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Photovoltaic devices were fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass with or without a layer of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and were studied without encapsulation. Photovoltaic performance characteristics were measured as a function of time for different ambient conditions (under white light irradiation and in the dark, and under air, dry oxygen and humid nitrogen atmospheres). It was found that a key cause of degradation under air exposure is light independent and results from water adsorption by the hygroscopic PEDOT:PSS layer. Measurements of the charge mobility and hole injection after air exposure showed that the degradation increases the resistance of the PEDOT:PSS/blend layer interface.     

The effect of introducing a buffer layer to polymer solar cells on cell efficiency

The effect of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as a buffer layer was investigated in polymer solar cells (PSCs). Four different types of PEDOT:PSS were used: PH, PH500 and their DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide)-doped counterparts. The efficiency of PSCs was independent of the electric conductivity of the buffer layer as a bulk property while it was significantly related to interfacial properties between the buffer layer and a bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) layer. The interfacial properties included charge transfer resistance (R_CT), hole mobility (μ_h) and contact angle (θ) of the solution of BHJ on the buffer layer. Lower R_CT, higher μ_h and smaller θ led to the higher fill factor (up to 72%), enabling highly efficient PSCs with efficiency (η)=4.25%.     

π-Conjugated polymer/GaN Schottky solar cells

We developed heterojunction-based Schottky solar cells consisting of π-conjugated polymers and n-type GaN. Poly (3,4-ethylendioxythiophene):poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was used as the transparent Schottky contact material and their electrical properties were investigated in comparison with those of a polyaniline (PANI) Schottky contact. The PEDOT:PSS/n-GaN/sapphire (0 0 0 1) sample exhibited high-quality rectifying characteristics with a low reverse leakage current of less than 10⁻⁸ A/cm² at a reverse bias voltage of −3 V. While investigating the photovoltaic performance, it was observed that the open-circuit voltage of the PEDOT:PSS/n-GaN/sapphire (0 0 0 1) sample reached 0.8 V, which was much superior to the photovoltage reported for a conventional metal/GaN Schottky photodetector. We also confirmed that the PEDOT:PSS is as promising a material as PANI for π-conjugated polymer/GaN Schottky solar cells.     

Improvement of device performances by thin interlayer in conjugated polymers/methanofullerene plastic solar cell

Recent studies have reported that a thin interlayer between poly(3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT: PSS) and an emissive polymer layer leads to a large increase in the performances of polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) by preventing significant quenching of the radiative excitons at the PEDOT: PSS interface; therefore, acting as an efficient exciton-blocking layer. Using the similar idea, a thin interlayer was fabricated between PEDOT: PSS and the active layer of conjugated polymers/methanofullerene composites in a plastic solar cell. The interlayer consisted of a poly(fluorene)-based hole transporter spin-coated directly on top of the PEDOT: PSS layer. The devices with the interlayer exhibited a higher efficiency than in those without the interlayer.     

Preparation and characterization of nano-scale ZnO as a buffer layer for inkjet printing of silver cathode in polymer solar cells

Less-populated and well-isolated ZnO nanorods were prepared from a simple solution method by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) surfactant molecules. The structural and morphological information provided by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) demonstrated the high purity of the ZnO nanorods that were free from any unknown impurities. Furthermore, annealing treatment was used to increase the length of the ZnO nanorods further at an elevated temperature. This ZnO was used as a buffer layer for polymer solar cells (PSCs) in the device configuration of ITO/ PEDOT:PSS/P3HT-PCBM/ZnO/Ag, in which the Ag cathode was prepared by the inkjet printing method using silver ink. The present study discusses and compares the performance of the devices with and without the ZnO buffer layer.     

Improving power conversion efficiency in polythiophene/fullerene-based bulk heterojunction solar cells

In the present work, we have studied photovoltaic devices fabricated from a blend of regioregular poly (3-hexlthiophene) (P3HT) and Buckminster fullerene. The solvent and composite ratio have been selected to obtain best morphology and minimum degradation. Buffer layers of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) at the anode and of LiF at the cathode were used to improve the device performance. It was further found that post-annealing of the devices for an optimum duration and temperature improves the solar cells, and the power conversion efficiency of the devices increases to 2.1% at AM1.5. Though the efficiency using [6,6]-phenyl C60 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the composite acceptor instead of C₆₀ can be higher, it was not used because of its very high cost as compared to C₆₀.     

Organic solar cells with 2-Thenylmercaptan/AU self-assembly film as buffer layer

The interface between an electrode and the organic active layer is an important factor in organic solar cells (OSCs) that influences the power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this report, a buffer layer of 2-thenylmercaptan/Au self-assembly film is introduced into OSCs as a substitute for the poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) layer. The electrode/active layer interface is meliorated by Au-S coordinate bond of self assembly after applying this buffer layer. The series resistance reduces from 20 Ω cm² in a device based on PEDOT:PSS to 10.2 Ω cm². Correspondingly, the fill factor (FF) increases from 0.50 to 0.64. Moreover, due to the dipole of this self-assembled layer, the open circuit voltage (V_oc) also increases slightly from 0.54 V to 0.56 V and the PCE reaches 2.5%.     

Gravure printing for three subsequent solar cell layers of inverted structures on flexible substrates

Inverted organic photovoltaic devices have been fabricated by gravure printing on a flexible substrate. In order to enable printing of multiple layers sequentially, a systematic study of wetting behaviour of each layer in the device is performed. Successful wetting of a hydrophobic P3HT:PCBM surface by a hydrophilic PEDOT:PSS ink is achieved with the addition of a surfactant/alcohol to the PEDOT:PSS ink and with oxygen plasma treatment. We are therefore able to print titanium oxide, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) blended with [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:poly(styrene sulphonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS). As result we get for three printed layers a 0.6% power conversion efficiency.     

Highly structured TiO2/In(OH)xSy/PbS/PEDOT:PSS for photovoltaic applications

A system of highly structured TiO₂/In(OH)_xS_y/PbS/PEDOT:PSS has been developed and investigated by photovoltage spectroscopy, X-ray photo- and Auger electron spectroscopies, electron microscopy, and photovoltaic response. TiO₂, In(OH)_xS_y, PbS, and PEDOT:PSS serve as electron conductor, buffer layer, absorber, and hole conductor, respectively. Both buffer and absorber layers were prepared by chemical bath deposition. The band gap of as-prepared In(OH)_xS_y varied between 2.4 and 3.5 eV depending on the pH-value of the solution. In addition, the band gap of the PbS could be widened to about 0.85 eV making the application as absorber for solar cells feasible. At present, corresponding solar cell devices reach short-circuit current densities of about 8 mA/cm² and open-circuit voltages of about 0.3 V.