Relationship between energetic disorder and open-circuit voltage in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells
Top Cited Papers
- 12 August 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review B
- Vol. 84 (7)
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.84.075210
Abstract
We simulate organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. The effects of energetic disorder are incorporated through a Gaussian or exponential model of density of states. Analytical models of open-circuit voltage () are derived from the splitting of quasi-Fermi potentials. Their predictions are backed up by more complex numerical device simulations including effects such as carrier-density–dependent charge-carrier mobilities. It is predicted that the V depends on: (1) the donor-acceptor energy gap; (2) charge-carrier recombination rates; (3) illumination intensity; (4) the contact work functions (if not in the pinning regime); and (5) the amount of energetic disorder. A large degree of energetic disorder, or a high density of traps, is found to cause significant reductions in . This can explain why is often less than expected in real devices. Energetic disorder also explains the nonideal temperature and intensity dependence of and the superbimolecular recombination rates observed in many real bulk heterojunction solar cells. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.075210 ©2011 American Physical Society
Keywords
This publication has 68 references indexed in Scilit:
- Nanoarchitectured 3D Cathodes for Li‐Ion MicrobatteriesAdvanced Materials, 2010
- On the origin of the open-circuit voltage of polymer–fullerene solar cellsNature Materials, 2009
- Electroluminescence from Charge Transfer States in Polymer Solar CellsJournal of the American Chemical Society, 2009
- The Energy of Charge‐Transfer States in Electron Donor–Acceptor Blends: Insight into the Energy Losses in Organic Solar CellsAdvanced Functional Materials, 2009
- Bulk heterojunction solar cells with internal quantum efficiency approaching 100%Nature Photonics, 2009
- Bimolecular recombination losses in polythiophene: Fullerene solar cellsPhysical Review B, 2008
- The Relation Between Open‐Circuit Voltage and the Onset of Photocurrent Generation by Charge‐Transfer Absorption in Polymer : Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar CellsAdvanced Functional Materials, 2008
- Comparative Study of M3EH−PPV-Based Bilayer Photovoltaic DevicesMacromolecules, 2006
- Design Rules for Donors in Bulk‐Heterojunction Solar Cells—Towards 10 % Energy‐Conversion EfficiencyAdvanced Materials, 2006
- Cathode dependence of the open-circuit voltage of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cellsJournal of Applied Physics, 2003