Enhanced power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices due to the surface plasmonic resonance effect generated utilizing Au-WO3 nanocomposites

Au-WO₃ nanocomposites (NCs) were used as a hole transport layer (HTL) to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. The photon absorption of the active layer in the OPV cells was increased due to the plasmonic effect caused by the Au-WO₃ NCs, resulting in an enhanced short-circuit current density for the OPV cells with the Au-WO₃ NC HTL. The value of the root-mean-square roughness of the Au-WO₃ NC film was smaller than that of the WO₃ NP film, resulting in a more efficient transport of holes from the active layer. The PCE of the OPV cell with an Au-WO₃ NCs HTL with an Au NP concentration of 10 wt% was improved by 60.37% in comparison with that with WO₃ nanoparticles. The enhancement of the PCE was attributed to both an increase in the efficiency of the hole transport at an Au-WO₃ NCs HTL with an Au NP concentration of 10 wt%/active layer heterointerface and an enhanced photon absorption due to the localized surface plasmon resonance effect of the Au-WO₃ NCs.     

Enhancement of the current efficiency of organic light-emitting devices due to the surface plasmonic resonance effect of dodecanethilol-functionalized Au nanoparticles

The photoluminescence intensity of the dodecanethilol-functionalized Au (DDT-Au) nanoparticle (NP) layer/4,4′-cyclohexylidenebis[N,N-bis(4-methylphenyl)benzenamine] (TAPC)/4,4′-bis(N-carbazolyl)-1,1′-biphenyl:tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium (III) (CPB:Ir(ppy)₃) film was increased by about 1.15 times compared to that of the TAPC/CPB:Ir(ppy)₃ film due to the effect of coupling between the excitons in the emitting layer and a localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) in the DDT-Au NPs. The current efficiency of the organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with the DDT-Au NP layer at 100 cd/m² was 14.9 cd/A larger than that without the DDT-Au NP layer, resulting in an enhancement of the out-coupling efficiency. The increase in the current efficiency of the OLEDs with a DDT-Au NP layer was attributed to the enhanced out-coupling efficiency due to the existence of the LSPR generated by the DDT-Au NPs.     

The dual localized surface plasmonic effects of gold nanodots and gold nanoparticles enhance the performance of bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells

In this study, we investigated the effects of plasmonic resonances induced by gold nanodots (Au NDs), thermally deposited on the active layer, and octahedral gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), incorporated within the hole transport layer, on the performance of bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM). Thermal deposition of 5.3-nm Au NDs between the active layer and the cathode in a P3HT:PC₆₁BM device resulted in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.6%—that is 15% greater than that (4.0%) for the P3HT:PC₆₁BM device without Au NDs. The Au NDs provided near-field enhancement through excitation of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), thereby enhancing the degree of light absorption.     

Efficiency Enhancement in Organic Photovoltaic Cells: Consequences of Optimizing Series Resistance

Here, means to enhance power conversion efficiency (PCE or η) in bulk‐heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells by optimizing the series resistance (R_s)—also known as the cell internal resistance—are studied. It is shown that current state‐of‐the‐art BHJ OPVs are approaching the limit for which efficiency can be improved via R_s reduction alone. This evaluation addresses OPVs based on a poly(3‐hexylthiophene):6,6‐phenyl C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) active layer, as well as future high‐efficiency OPVs (η > 10%). A diode‐based modeling approach is used to assess changes in R_s. Given that typical published P3HT:PCBM test cells have relatively small areas (～0.1 cm²), the analysis is extended to consider efficiency losses for larger area cells and shows that the transparent anode conductivity is then the dominant materials parameter affecting R_s efficiency losses. A model is developed that uses cell sizes and anode conductivities to predict current–voltage response as a function of resistive losses. The results show that the losses due to R_s remain minimal until relatively large cell areas (>0.1 cm²) are employed. Finally, R_s effects on a projected high‐efficiency OPV scenario are assessed, based on the goal of cell efficiencies >10%. Here, R_s optimization effects remain modest; however, there are now more pronounced losses due to cell size, and it is shown how these losses can be mitigated by using higher conductivity anodes.     

Realizing improved performance of down-conversion white organic light-emitting diodes by localized surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag nanoparticles

Down-conversion structure white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs), in which white light is generated by a blue emission organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in combination with a color conversion layer (CCL) outside the substrate, has attracted extensive interest due to its significant advantages in low cost and stabilized white-light emissions. However, low color-conversion efficiency of CCL is still a bottleneck for the performance improvement of down-conversion WOLEDs. Here, we demonstrate an approach to enhance the color-conversion efficiency of CCL-WOLEDs by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. In this approach, a blend of Ag nanoparticles and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is solution-deposited between the blue organic light emitting diodes and color-conversion layer. Based on the LSPR effect of this modified structure, the color conversion efficiency has improved 32%, from 45.4% to 60%, resulting a 14.4% enhancement of the current efficiency, from 9.73 cd/A to 11.14 cd/A. Our work provides a simple and low-cost way to enhance the performance of down-conversion WOLEDs, which highlights its potential in illumination applications.     

Enhanced power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells by embedding Ag nanoparticles in exciton blocking layer

We demonstrate the power conversion efficiency of bulk heterojunction organic solar cells can be enhanced by introducing Ag nanoparticles into organic exciton blocking layer. The Ag nanoparticles were incorporated into the exciton blocking layer by thermal evaporation. Compared with the conventional cathode contact materials such as Al, LiF/Al, devices with Ag nanoparticles incorporated in the exciton blocking layer showed lower series resistances and higher fill factors, leading to a 3.2% power conversion efficiency with a 60 nm active layer; whereas, the conventional devices have only 2.0–2.3% power conversion efficiency. Localized surface plasmon resonances by the Ag nanoparticles and their contribution to photocurrent were also discussed by simulating optical absorptions using a FDTD (finite-difference-time-domain) method.     

梯度掺杂对太阳能电池转换效率的影响

论述了梯度掺杂对太阳能电池光伏转换效率的影响。利用掺杂半导体导带中自由电子数目及静电场理论，计算出了单晶硅指数掺杂的电场，并给出了任意梯度掺杂电场强度所满足的微分方程。     

Stepwise co-sensitization as a useful tool for enhancement of power conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells: The case of an unsymmetrical porphyrin dyad and a metal-free organic dye

A tertiary arylamine compound (DC), which contains a terminal cyano-acetic group in one of its aryl groups, and an unsymmetrical porphyrin dyad of the type Zn[Porph]-L-H₂[Porph] (ZnP-H₂P), where Zn[Porph] and H₂[Porph] are metallated and free-base porphyrin units, respectively, and L is a bridging triazine group functionalized with a glycine moiety, and were synthesized and used for the fabrication of co-sensitized dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The photophysical and electronic properties of the two compounds revealed spectral absorption features and frontier orbital energy levels that are appropriate for use in DSSCs. Following a stepwise co-sensitization procedure, by immersing the TiO₂ electrode in separate solutions of the dyes in different sequence, two co-sensitized solar cells were obtained: devices C (ZnP-H₂P/DC) and D (DC/ZnP-H₂P).The two solar cells were found to exhibit power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 6.16% and 4.80%, respectively. The higher PCE value of device C, which is also higher than that of the individually sensitized devices based on the ZnP-H₂P and DC dyes, is attributed to enhanced photovoltaic parameters, i.e. short circuit current (J_sc = 11.72 mA/cm²), open circuit voltage (V_oc = 0.72 V), fill factor (FF = 0.73), as it is revealed by photovoltaic measurements (J–V curves) and by incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) spectra of the devices, and to a higher total dye loading. The overall performance of device C was further improved up to 7.68% (with J_sc = 13.45 mA/cm², V_oc = 0.76 V, and FF = 0.75), when a formic acid treated TiO₂ ZnP-H₂P co-sensitized photoanode was employed (device E). The increased PCE value of device E has been attributed to an enhanced J_sc value (=13.45 mA/cm²), which resulted from an increased dye loading, and an enhanced V_oc value (=0.76 V), attributed to an upward shift and increased of electron density in the TiO₂ CB. Furthermore, dark current and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) of device E revealed an enhanced electron transport rate in the formic acid treated TiO₂ photoanode, suppressed electron recombination at the photoanode/dye/electrolyte interface, as well as shorter electron transport time (τ_d), and longer electron lifetime (τ_e).     

Suppression of efficiency roll-off in TADF-OLEDs using Ag-island nanostructures with localized surface plasmon resonance effect

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) have emerged as promising alternatives to phosphorescent OLEDs for harvesting both singlet and triplet excitons. However, the development of TADF-OLEDs meets a thorny problem of serious efficiency roll-off at high luminance. Here, we demonstrate an approach to suppress the efficiency roll-off characteristics in TADF-OLEDs by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of easy-fabricated Ag-island nanostructures. Compared with the common TADF-OLEDs at a high current density of 100 mA cm⁻², the efficiency roll-off ratio of the TADF-OLEDs with Ag-island nanostructures decreases from 49.75% to 35.76% significantly, and the maximum current efficiency is increased by 10.5%. The performance enhancement is mainly attributed to the coupling between excitons and localized surface plasmons (LSPs), which could alter the excited state kinetic characteristics of TADF molecules.     

基于级联金属光栅结构的有机太阳能电池宽谱吸收增强

为拓宽活性材料对太阳光谱的吸收范围,实现器 件的宽谱吸收增强,本文提出一种基 于光栅结构的新型有机太阳能电池器件,该器件在一个周期内引入不同占空比的光栅来构成 级联光栅。本文采用时域有限差分法从理论上研究了级联光栅结构对器件吸收性能的影响, 结果表明该结构可激发多个表面等离激元谐振,这些不同波长下的谐振模式可以在吸收光谱 中同时存在,从而实现宽谱吸收增强。考虑太阳光谱的影响,在TM和TM/TE混合偏振模式 下,活性材料的整体吸收效率从等效平板结构的23.9%分别提高到54.2%和36.4%,分别增 强126.8%和52.3%,且基于该级联光栅结构的 太阳能电池器件可实现在0到65度入射角范 围内的广角吸收。此外,在TM偏振模式下,该器件的吸收性能对光栅参数微小误差变化的 敏感性较低,适用于实际纳米器件 的制备。这项工作的理论结果有助于纳米金属光栅在有机 太阳能电池中的应用提供新的理论指导。     

Luminescent cathode buffer layer for enhanced power conversion efficiency and stability of bulk-heterojunction solar cells

We report high photovoltaic efficiency of over 9% in solution-processed, small-molecule (SPSM) 7,7′-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-silolo[3,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl)bis(6-fluoro-4(5′-hexyl-[2,2′-bithiophen]-5-yl)benzo[c]1,2,5]thiadiazole) p-DTS(FBTTh₂)₂:[6-6]-phenyl C70 butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₀BM) blend based inverted BHJ solar cell by incorporating luminescent zinc oxide doped with sodium (ZnO:Na) quantum dots (QD) (l-ZnO) as a cathode buffer layer (CBL) in inverted bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells for the first time. The l-ZnO absorbs ultraviolet (UV) light and down-converts it to visible light. The l-ZnO layer's emission overlaps significantly with the absorption of p-DTS(FBTTh₂)₂, leading to an enhanced absorption by p-DTS(FBTTh₂)₂. This resulted in a significant enhancement of photo-current from 15.4 to 17.27 mA/cm² and efficiency from 8% to 9.2% for ZnO and l-ZnO based devices, respectively. This is among one of the highest efficiency values reported so far in the case of SPSM based single junction BHJ solar cells. The luminescent ZnO layer also protects the active layer from UV-induced degradation as solar cells show high stability under constant solar light illumination retaining more than 90% (∼28 h) of its initial efficiency, whereas BHJ solar cells without the luminescent ZnO layer degraded to ∼50% of its initial value under same conditions. Since ZnO is an essential part of inverted organic solar cells, the luminescent l-ZnO CBL has great potential in inverted organic solar cells.     

多晶硅太阳电池背表面刻蚀提升其性能的产线工艺研究

对比研究了产线上多晶硅太阳电池背表面刻蚀对 其光电转换性能的影响。示范性实验结果表明:多晶硅太阳电池背表面刻蚀能够改善其短路 电流, 从而相应的光电转换效 率提升了约 0．1％。依据多晶硅太阳电池背表面刻蚀前后的扫描 电镜(SEM)形貌、背表面漫 反射光谱及完整电池片外量子效率的测试结果,改进的光电转换的原因可能源于背表面刻蚀 “镜面”化有利于太阳光子在背表面内反射和改进印刷Al浆与背表面覆盖接触。背表面刻蚀 与当前晶硅电池产线工艺兼容,能够提升电池片的光电转换效率,是一种可供选择的产线升 级工艺。     

Efficiency limit of excitonic photovoltaic cells under phosphor-based white LED illumination

The limit of energy conversion of excitonic photovoltaic cells working under white light illumination generated by phosphor-based LED is analysed using the modified Giebink approach. Particularly, the impact of the optical energy gap and energy loss associated with the excitons dissociation at the heterojunction interface on power conversion efficiency of the device are discussed. From the results of our study it follows that the optimal optical energy gap value of organic materials equals 1.87–1.91 eV for the cool light and 1.80–1.82 eV for the warm light. The value of maximum power efficiency reaches 50%, if the energy loss related to excitons dissociation at the interface ED/EA is smaller than 0.3 eV and it decreases up to 40%, if the energy loss reaches the value of 0.5 eV. The obtained results reveal the direction of further improvement of efficiency of organic photovoltaic solar cells for indoor applications.     

提高液体中脉冲激光致声转换效率的理论研究

从液体中脉冲激光致声的理论出发,讨论了热膨胀机制下提高光声转换效率的措施,并着重讨论了不同液体媒质的特性对转换效率的影响;基于Helmholtz共振器的共振频率和放大特性理论,讨论了通过共振光声池的设计提高光声转换效率的可行性;指出在对光致声波可重复性和可控制性没有特殊要求的情况下,可采用高功率光纤激光器,通过汽化机制或介电击穿机制激发声波,提高转换效率.     

有机层／阴极界面修饰对体异质结聚合物太阳能电池性能的影响

通过制备四种不同结构的器件,详细分析研究了活性层／阴极界面修饰对P3HT:PCBM聚合物体异质结太阳能电池性能的影响。当在P3HT:PCBM薄膜上旋涂一层PCBM,并蒸镀0.5 nm LiF时所制备的器件的填充因子和光电转换效率都得到较大的提高。对器件的光电性能和薄膜的形貌进行深入分析,阐明界面修饰的作用机理。     

光伏发电系统中三种DC-DC转换电路的比较研究

为了提高光伏发电系统的转换效率,对降压式、升压式、升降压式这3种转换电路的电路结构和工作原理进行详细的分析。由这3种电路的等效电路图,在MATLAB/Simulink的环境下建立这3种电路的仿真模型,通过仿真的输出结果,计算比较它们的转换效率的高低,最终确定升压式转换电路作为光伏发电系统的DC-DC转换电路。     

Impact of spatial separation of type‐II GaSb quantum dots from the depletion region on the conversion efficiency limit of GaAs solar cells

The purpose of this work is to look for a practical structure for application of quantum dots (QDs) in solar cells. We focus on a stack of strain‐compensated GaSb/GaAs type‐II QDs. We propose a novel structure with GaSb/GaAs type‐II QD absorber embedded in the p‐doped region of ideal solar cell but spatially separated from the depletion region. We developed the model and used the detailed balance principle along with Poisson and continuity equations for calculating of the energy band bending and photovoltaic characteristics of the proposed solar cell. Our model takes into account both single‐photon and two‐photon absorption as well as non‐radiative processes in QDs and predicts that concentration from 1‐sun to 500‐sun increases the efficiency from 30% to 50%. We showed that accumulation of charge in the QD absorber is the clue to understanding of potentially superior performance of the proposed solar cell. An attractive feature of the proposed solar cell is that QDs do not reduce the open‐circuit voltage but facilitate generation of the additional photocurrent to the extent that photovoltaic characteristics reduce to that of ideal solar cell while the efficiency meets the Luque‐Marti limit. It should be noted that although non‐radiative processes like relaxation in QDs and recombination through QDs degrade photovoltaic characteristics of the proposed solar cell, its conversion efficiency is still predicted to be above the Shockley‐Queisser limit by 5% to 10%. This study is an important step toward producing practical solar cells that benefit from additional photocurrent generated by sub‐band gap photons. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modulation of Alkyl Chain Length on the Thiazole Side Group Enables Over 17% Efficiency in All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells

Molecular innovation is highly desirable to achieve efficient all-small-molecule organic solar cells (SM-OSCs). Herein, three small-molecule donors (SMDs) with alkylated thiazole side groups (namely BO-1, HD-1, and OD-1), which differ only in the alkyl side chain are reported. Although these SMDs possess similar absorption profiles and molecular energy levels, their crystallinity and miscibility with BTP-eC9 slightly decrease along with the elongation of the alkyl side chain. After blending with BTP-eC9, different miscibility leads to different degrees of phase separation. Among these SM-OSCs, the HD-1-based device shows a decent bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) morphology with proper phase separation and more dynamic carrier behavior. Thus, compared to the BO-1 and OD-1-based devices, the HD-1-based device achieves a higher short-circuit current of 26.04 mA cm⁻² and a fill factor of 78.46%, leading to an outstanding PCE of 17.19%, which is one of the highest values among SM-OSCs. This work provides a rational design strategy of SMDs for highly efficient SM-OSCs.     

Enhancement of photo‐conversion efficiency in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 thin‐film solar cells by control of ZnS precursor‐layer thickness

CZTSSe thin‐film absorbers were grown by stacked ZnS/SnS/Cu sputtering with compound targets, and the precursors were annealed in a furnace with a Se atmosphere. We controlled the thickness of the ZnS precursor layer for the CZTSSe thin films in order to reduce the secondary phases and to improve the performance of the devices. The optimal value of the ZnS precursor thickness was determined for the CZTSSe absorbers, and this configuration showed an efficiency of up to 9.1%. In this study, we investigated the depth profiles of the samples in order to determine the presence of secondary phases in the CZTSSe thin films by Raman spectroscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy. Cu₂SnSe₃, ZnSe, and MoSe₂ secondary phases appeared near the back contact, and the work function distribution of the CZTSSe thin‐film surface and the secondary phase distribution were different depending on the depths of the absorber layer. This phase characterization allows us to describe the effects that changes in the thickness of the ZnS precursor can have on the performance of the CZTSSe thin‐film solar cells. Although it is important to identify the phases, the effects of secondary phases and point defects are not yet fully understood, even in optimal devices. Therefore, phase identification that is based on the work function and the results obtained from the Raman spectra in terms of the depth profile are instrumental to improve the surface and interface of CZTSSe thin‐film solar cells. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.