Controlling the morphology of a hybrid polymer/nanoparticle active layer of solar cells: mesoscopic simulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 390-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Komarov ◽  
Pavel Baburkin ◽  
Viktor Ivanov ◽  
Show-An Chen ◽  
Alexei Khokhlov
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Chemical Structure ◽  
Hybrid Polymer ◽  
Mesoscale Simulation ◽  
Photoactive Layer ◽  
Mesoscopic Simulation ◽  
Polymer Nanoparticle ◽  
Conjugated Copolymer

Using mesoscale simulation, we demonstrate that the morphology of the photoactive layer of solar cell devices can be controlled by proper choices of nanoparticle functionalization and the chemical structure of a conjugated copolymer.

scholarly journals Controlling morphology of polymer photoactive layer in photovoltaic elements: mesoscopic simulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 485 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-57
Author(s):  
P. V. Komarov ◽  
P. O. Baburkin ◽  
V. A. Ivanov ◽  
Show-An Chen ◽  
A. R. Khokhlov
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Structure ◽  
Diblock Copolymers ◽  
Microphase Separation ◽  
Photovoltaic Devices ◽  
Mesoscale Simulation ◽  
Photoactive Layer ◽  
Mesoscopic Simulation ◽  
Cubic Symmetry ◽  
Conjugated Copolymer ◽  
Stable Domains

A concept of fabrication of well-organized conductive pathways in CP/NP blends in photovoltaic devices. It is assumed that to succeed in this task, one can use the property of AB diblock copolymers that, depending on the chemical structure of A and B blocks and the ratio between their lengths, these copolymers undergo microphase separation in bulk to form thermodynamically stable domains of cubic symmetry with 3D periodicity. Using a mesoscale simulation technique, we demonstrated that the morphology of the photoactive layer of photovoltaic devices can be controlled by selecting the surface NP modifier (responsible for the compatibility of NPs with the polymeric matrix), the chemical structure of the blocks of a conjugated copolymer, and their length.

Regulating active layer thickness and morphology for high performance hot-casted polymer solar cells

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (24) ◽  
pp. 8191-8198
Author(s):  
Ritesh Kant Gupta ◽  
Rabindranath Garai ◽  
Mohammad Adil Afroz ◽  
Parameswar Krishnan Iyer
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Layer Thickness ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Carrier Mobility ◽  
Polymer Solar Cells ◽  
Active Layer Thickness ◽  
Casting Technique ◽  
High Performance Polymer

Fabrication of high performance polymer solar cells through the hot-casting technique, which modulates the thickness and roughness of the active layer and also the carrier mobility of the solar cell devices.

scholarly journals Air-processed active-layer of organic solar cells investigated by conducting AFM for precise defect detection

RSC Advances ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (42) ◽  
pp. 24882-24892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjusree S. ◽  
Arya K. R. ◽  
Bikas C. Das
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Defect Detection ◽  
Organic Solar Cells ◽  
Organic Solar Cell

Current imaging by C-AFM is demonstrated as a very effective tool to probe the defects in the organic solar cell active layer.

Electro-Optical Simulation Of In Ultra-Thin Photonic Crystal Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-21
Author(s):  
Abdelhak Merabti ◽  
Abdelkader Bensliman ◽  
Mahmoud Habab
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Photonic Crystal ◽  
Electric Field ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Cell Structure ◽  
Photovoltaic Performance ◽  
Optical Simulation ◽  
Geometrical Parameters

Hydrogenated amorphous Si (a-Si:H) is an important solar cell material. The critical problem in the a-Si:H-based photovoltaic cell is increasing the conversion efficiency. To overcome the difficulty,  higher conversion efficiency demands a longer optical path  to increase optical absorption. Thus, a light trapping  structure is needed to obtain more efficient absorption. In this context, we propose a complete solar cell structure for which a 1D grating is etched into the ultrathin active absorbing layer of a one-dimensional "CP 1D" photonic crystal a-Si: H characterized by the optimal parameters: period a = 480 nm, a filling factor ff = 50% and a depth d = 150 nm. This was selected by varying the CP1D parameters to maximize the absorption integrated into the active layer. CP1D is suggested as an intermediate layer in the solar cell concentration system. This study allowed us to model the optical and electrical behavior of a CP1D solar cell. After optimization of the geometrical parameters (period and fill factor ... etc.), we concluded that the CP1D led to greater optical gains than for their unstructured equivalent. The simulation clearly illustrates that the electric field strongly affects the electro-optical characteristics of the devices studied, and that it is clear that 1D PC solar cells as active layer have exhibited a high electric field distribution. We have focused on the net on the effect of the active layer and its beneficial role in the sense of expressing the photovoltaic performance of the devices.

scholarly journals Templated Growth of Fullerene C60 Crystals by Triptycene in  Polymer Blend Films

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Cole Ross Lomas
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Phase Separation ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Polymer Film ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Polymer Films ◽  
Conjugated Polymer ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
Fullerene C60 ◽  
Film Morphology

<p>Molecular semiconductors such as fullerene C60 have become ubiquitous components of organic electronic devices, owing to their electronic structure and favourable material processing properties. In most conjugated polymer-fullerene films that form the active layer in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells, organisation of the fullerene phases to the correct nanoscale dimensions for exciton charge separation and transportation to the device electrodes is driven by excess fullerene addition. While this approach can deliver acceptable film morphology for a BHJ solar cell, it is not optimal as the photoactive polymer component of the film becomes diluted by C60 thereby reducing device efficiency. This motivates a supramolecular approach as an alternative method to control fullerene assembly and give morphological control of conjugated polymer films. Triptycene (TPC) is a readily available molecule whose rigid paddle wheel structure and hydrophobicity present three excellent C60 binding cavities. Triptycene has the potential to template the macroscopic assembly of fullerene molecules within a polymer-fullerene blend film, thereby controlling phase separation without excess fullerene addition. In this project, the ability of TPC to template the assembly of C60 was investigated in single crystals, polymer films, and in functional electronic devices. Blue-shifted fluorescence from TPC·C60 co-crystals was used as a spectroscopic signature to probe the molecular environment of C60 dispersed through an optically transparent polystyrene polymer film, and confirm that TPC hosts C60 molecules within the polymer matrix. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy of the polystyrene:C60:TPC films confirmed a reduction in the orbital overlap between adjacent C60 molecules providing further evidence that TPC had spatially separated C60 molecules upon templating the macroscopic assembly. When TPC was added to conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) and MEHPPV: C60 films as a blend additive, fluorescence spectroscopy identified two unique effects: (1) the suppression of excimer states when TPC spatially separated the conjugated polymer chains, and (2) the assembly of C60 into larger domains to drive polymer and C60 phase separation, giving morphological control of the polymer film. The fabrication of polystyrene:C60:TPC sandwich devices showed the electronic conduction of C60 was unaltered by spatial separation and reduction in electronic coupling between neighbouring C60 molecules caused by TPC templation. MEHPPV: C60 BHJ solar cells suffered a loss in photocurent when TPC was added to the active layer when compared to fabricated devices that used excess fullerene addition to control film morphology. However, due to time constraints, only one polymer film composition was able to be tested. Since the polymer film morphology was shown to be sensitive to the molar ratios of C60 and TPC, there is immense potential to further investigate TPC as a blend additive in conjugated polymer films and optimise the film composition to obtain desirable morphology for a BHJ solar cell. The functionalisation of TPC could provide a method to further enhance interactions between TPC and C60 and provide greater control over C60 self-assembly within a polymer film.</p>

scholarly journals Fabrication of Hybrid Polymer Solar Cells By Inverted Structure Based on P3HT:PCBM Active Layer

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Shobih Shobih ◽  
Rizky Abdillah ◽  
Erlyta Septa Rosa
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Bulk Heterojunction ◽  
Polymer Solar Cells ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Short Circuit Current Density ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Hybrid Polymer

Hybrid polymer solar cell has privilege than its conventional structure, where it usually has structure of (ITO/PEDOT:PSS/Active Layer/Al). In humid environment the PEDOT:PSS will absorb water and hence can easily etch the ITO. Therefore it is necessary to use an alternative method to avoid this drawback and obtain more stable polymer solar cells, namely by using hybrid polymer solar cells structure with an inverted device architecture from the conventional, by reversing the nature of charge collection. In this paper we report the results of the fabrication of inverted bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells based on P3HT:PCBM as active layer, utilizing ZnO interlayer as buffer layer between the ITO and active layer with a stacked structure of ITO/ZnO/P3HT:PCBM/PEDOT:PSS/Ag. The ZnO interlayer is formed through short route, i.e. by dissolving ZnO nanoparticles powder in chloroform-methanol solvent blend rather than by sol-gel process. Based on the measurement results on electrical characteristics of inverted polymer solar cells under 500 W/m2 illumination and AM 1.5 direct filter at room temperature, cell with annealing process of active layer at 110 °C for 10 minutes results in higher cell performance than without annealing, with an open-circuit voltage of 0.21 volt, a short-circuit current density of 1.33 mA/cm2 , a fill factor of 43.1%, and a power conversion efficiency of 0.22%. The low cell’s performance is caused by very rough surface of ZnO interlayer.

scholarly journals A high‐efficiency and stable perovskite solar cell fabricated in ambient air using a polyaniline passivation layer

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong In Kim ◽  
Ji Won Lee ◽  
Rak Hyun Jeong ◽  
Jin-Hyo Boo
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Radiative Recombination ◽  
Perovskite Solar Cells ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Perovskite Solar Cell ◽  
Passivation Layer ◽  
Transport Layer ◽  
Electron Transport Layer

AbstractOver the past number of years, the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells has remained at 25.5%, reflecting a respectable result for the general incorporation of organometallic trihalide perovskite solar cells. However, perovskite solar cells still suffer from long-term stability issues. Perovskite decomposes upon exposure to moisture, thermal, and UV-A light. Studies related to this context have remained ongoing. Recently, research was mainly conducted on the stability of perovskite against non-radiative recombination. This study improved a critical instability in perovskite solar cells arising from non-radiative recombination and UV-A light using a passivation layer. The passivation layer comprised a polyaniline (PANI) polymer as an interfacial modifier inserted between the active layer and the electron transport layer. Accordingly, the UV-A light did not reach the active layer and confined the Pb2+ ions at PANI passivation layer. This study optimized the perovskite solar cells by controlling the concentration, thickness and drying conditions of the PANI passivation layer. As a result, the efficiency of the perovskite solar cell was achieved 15.1% and showed over 84% maintain in efficiency in the ambient air for one month using the 65 nm PANI passivation layer.

scholarly journals Environmental Friendly Multi-step Processing of Efficient Mixed-cation Mixed Halide Perovskite Solar Cells from Chemically Bath Deposited Lead Sulphide

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahel Gozalzadeh ◽  
Farzad Nasirpouri ◽  
Sang Il Seok
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Perovskite Solar Cells ◽  
Processing Technique ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Lead Sulphide ◽  
Solar Cell Performance ◽  
Mixed Cation ◽  
Halide Perovskite

Abstract Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite is the most promising active layer for new generation of solar cells. Despite of highly efficient perovskite active layer conventionally fabricated by spin coating methods, the need for using toxic solvents like dimethylformamide (DMF) required for dissolving low soluble metal precursors as well as the difficulties for upscaling the process have restricted their practical development. To deal with these shortcomings, in this work, lead sulphide as the lead metal precursor was produced by aqueous chemical bath deposition. PbS films were subsequently chemically converted to PbI2 and finally to mixed-cation mixed halide perovskite films. The microstructural, optical and solar cell performance of mixed cation mixed halide perovskite films were exploited. Results show that controlling the morphology of PbI2 platelets achieved from PbS precursor films enabled efficient conversion to perovskite. Using this processing technique, smooth and pin hole-free perovskite films having columnar grains of about 800 nm and a bandgap of 1.55 eV were produced. The solar cell performance consisting of such perovskite layers gave rise to a notable power conversion efficiency of 11.35% under standard solar conditions. The proposed processing technique is a very promising environmentally friendly method for the production of large-scale high efficient perovskite solar cells.

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