Improved Light Harvesting and Improved Efficiency by Insertion of an Optical Spacer (ZnO) in Solution-Processed Small-Molecule Solar Cells
- 27 June 2013
- journal article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Nano Letters
- Vol. 13 (8), 3796-3801
- https://doi.org/10.1021/nl401758g
Abstract
We demonstrate that the power conversion efficiency can be significantly improved in solution-processed small-molecule solar cells by tuning the thickness of the active layer and inserting an optical spacer (ZnO) between the active layer and the Al electrode. The enhancement in light absorption in the cell was measured with UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and by measurements of the photoinduced carriers generation rate. The ZnO layer used to improve the light-harvesting increases the charge collection efficiency, serves as a blocking layer for holes, and reduces the recombination rate. The combined optical and electrical improvements raise the power conversion efficiency of solution-processed small-molecule solar cells to 8.9%, that is, comparable to that of polymer counterparts.Keywords
This publication has 42 references indexed in Scilit:
- Enhanced Efficiency Parameters of Solution-Processable Small-Molecule Solar Cells Depending on ITO Sheet ResistanceAdvanced Energy Materials, 2013
- Intensity Dependence of Current–Voltage Characteristics and Recombination in High-Efficiency Solution-Processed Small-Molecule Solar CellsACS Nano, 2013
- Efficient Solution‐Processed Small‐Molecule Solar Cells with Inverted StructureAdvanced Materials, 2013
- Non‐Basic High‐Performance Molecules for Solution‐Processed Organic Solar CellsAdvanced Materials, 2012
- Small Molecule Organic Semiconductors on the Move: Promises for Future Solar Energy TechnologyAngewandte Chemie-International Edition, 2011
- Solution-processed small-molecule solar cells with 6.7% efficiencyNature Materials, 2011
- Small Molecule Solution-Processed Bulk Heterojunction Solar CellsChemistry of Materials, 2010
- Plasmonics for improved photovoltaic devicesNature Materials, 2010
- “Plastic” Solar Cells: Self-Assembly of Bulk Heterojunction Nanomaterials by Spontaneous Phase SeparationAccounts of Chemical Research, 2009
- Polymer‐Fullerene Bulk‐Heterojunction Solar CellsAdvanced Materials, 2009