Trap-induced losses in hybrid photovoltaics

Over 10% Efficient Sb2 (S,Se)3 Solar Cells Enabled by CsI-Doping Strategy

Antimony selenosulfide (Sb2 (S,Se)3 ) is an emerging quasi-1D photovoltaic semiconductor with exceptional photoelectric properties. The low-symmetry chain structure contains complex defects and makes it difficult to improve electrical properties via doping method. This article reports a doping strategy to enhance the efficiency of Sb2 (S,Se)3 solar cells by using alkali halide (CsI) as the hydrothermal reaction precursor. It is found that the Cs and I ions are effectively doped and atomically coordinate with Sb ions and S/Se ions. The CsI-doping Sb2 (S,Se)3 absorbers exhibit enhanced grain morphologies and reduced trap densities. The consequential CsI-doping Sb2 (S,Se)3 based solar cells demonstrate favorable band alignment, suppressed carrier recombination, and improved device performance. An efficiency as high as 10.05% under standard AM1.5 illumination irradiance is achieved. This precursor-based alkali halide doping strategy provides a useful guidance for high-efficiency antimony selenosulfide solar cells.

Unraveling the Structure-Property-Performance Relationships of Fused-Ring Nonfullerene Acceptors: Toward a C-Shaped ortho-Benzodipyrrole-Based Acceptor for Highly Efficient Organic Photovoltaics

The high-performance Y6-based nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) feature a C-shaped A-DA'D-A-type molecular architecture with a central electron-deficient thiadiazole (Tz) A' unit. In this work, we designed and synthesized a new A-D-A-type NFA, termed CB16, having a C-shaped ortho-benzodipyrrole-based skeleton of Y6 but with the Tz unit eliminated. When processed with nonhalogenated xylene without using any additives, the binary PM6:CB16 devices display a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.32% with a high open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.92 V, surpassing the performance of the corresponding Y6-based devices. In contrast, similarly synthesized SB16, featuring an S-shaped para-benzodipyrrole-based skeleton, yields a low PCE of 0.15% due to the strong side-chain aggregation of SB16. The C-shaped A-DNBND-A skeleton in CB16 and the Y6-series NFAs constitutes the essential structural foundation for achieving exceptional device performance. The central Tz moiety or other A' units can be employed to finely adjust intermolecular interactions. The single-crystal X-ray structure reveals that ortho-benzodipyrrole-embedded A-DNBND-A plays an important role in the formation of a 3D elliptical network packing for efficient charge transport. Solution structures of the PM6:NFAs detected by small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) indicate that removing the Tz unit in the C-shaped skeleton could reduce the self-packing of CB16, thereby enhancing the complexing and networking with PM6 in the spin-coating solution and the subsequent device film. Elucidating the structure-property-performance relationships of A-DA'D-A-type NFAs in this work paves the way for the future development of structurally simplified A-D-A-type NFAs.

Novel Spiro-Core Dopant-Free Hole Transporting Material for Planar Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

Hole-transporting materials (HTMs) have demonstrated their crucial role in promoting charge extraction, interface recombination, and device stability in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we present the synthesis of a novel dopant-free spiro-type fluorine core-based HTM with four ethoxytriisopropylsilane groups (Syl-SC) for inverted planar perovskite solar cells (iPSCs). The thickness of the Syl-SC influences the performance of iPSCs. The best-performing iPSC is achieved with a 0.8 mg/mL Syl-SC solution (ca. 15 nm thick) and exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.77%, with J_sc = 20.00 mA/cm², V_oc = 1.006 V, and FF = 80.10%. As compared to devices based on PEDOT:PSS, the iPSCs based on Syl-SC exhibit a higher V_oc, leading to a higher PCE. Additionally, it has been found that Syl-SC can more effectively suppress charge interfacial recombination in comparison to PEDOT:PSS, which results in an improvement in fill factor. Therefore, Syl-SC, a facilely processed and efficient hole-transporting material, presents a promising cost-effective alternative for inverted perovskite solar cells.

Finding the Sweet Spot of Photocatalysis─A Case Study Using Bipyridine-Based CTFs

Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) are a class of porous organic polymers that continuously attract growing interest because of their outstanding chemical and physical properties. However, the control of extended porous organic framework structures at the molecular scale for a precise adjustment of their properties has hardly been achieved so far. Here, we present a series of bipyridine-based CTFs synthesized through polycondensation, in which the sequence of specific building blocks is well controlled. The reported synthetic strategy allows us to tailor the physicochemical features of the CTF materials, including the nitrogen content, the apparent specific surface area, and optoelectronic properties. Based on a comprehensive analytical investigation, we demonstrate a direct correlation of the CTF bipyridine content with the material features such as the specific surface area, band gap, charge separation, and surface wettability with water. The entirety of these parameters dictates the catalytic activity as demonstrated for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The material with the optimal balance between optoelectronic properties and highest hydrophilicity enables HER production rates of up to 7.2 mmol/(h·g) under visible light irradiation and in the presence of a platinum cocatalyst.

Improving the Photostability of Small-Molecule-Based Organic Photovoltaics by Providing a Charge Percolation Pathway of Crystalline Conjugated Polymer

Photostability of small-molecule (SM)-based organic photovoltaics (SM-OPVs) is greatly improved by utilizing a ternary photo-active layer incorporating a small amount of a conjugated polymer (CP). Semi-crystalline poly[(2,5-bis(2-hexyldecyloxy)phenylene)-alt-(5,6-difluoro-4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole)] (PPDT2FBT) and amorphous poly[(2,5-bis(2-decyltetradecyloxy)phenylene)-alt-(5,6-dicyano-4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole)] (PPDT2CNBT) with similar chemical structures were used for preparing SM:fullerene:CP ternary photo-active layers. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the ternary device with PPDT2FBT (Ternary-F) was higher than those of the ternary device with PPDT2CNBT (Ternary-CN) and a binary SM-OPV device (Binary) by 15% and 17%, respectively. The photostability of the SM-OPV was considerably improved by the addition of the crystalline CP, PPDT2FBT. Ternary-F retained 76% of its initial PCE after 1500 h of light soaking, whereas Ternary-CN and Binary retained only 38% and 17% of their initial PCEs, respectively. The electrical and morphological analyses of the SM-OPV devices revealed that the addition of the semi-crystalline CP led to the formation of percolation pathways for charge transport without disturbing the optimized bulk heterojunction morphology. The CP also suppressed trap-assisted recombination and enhanced the hole mobility in Ternary-F. The percolation pathways enabled the hole mobility of Ternary-F to remain constant during the light-soaking test. The photostability of Ternary-CN did not improve because the addition of the amorphous CP inhibited the formation of ordered SM domains.

Impact of Polymer Backbone Fluorination on the Charge Generation/Recombination Patterns and Vertical Phase Segregation in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

Incorporating fluorine (-F) substituents along the main-chains of polymer donors and acceptors is an effective strategy toward efficient bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. Specifically, F-substituted polymers often exhibit planar conformations, leading to favorable packing, and electronic coupling. However, the effects of fluorine substituents on the charge generation and recombination characteristics that determine the overall efficiency of BHJ active layers remain critically important issues to examine. In this report, two PBDT[2X]T polymer analogs -poly[4,8-bis((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2-b:4, 5-b']dithiophene-thiophene] [PBDT[2H]T] and its F-substituted counterpart poly[4,8-bis((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-3,4-difluoro-thiophene] [PBDT[2F]T]-are studied to systematically examine how -F substituents impact the blend morphology, charge generation, carrier recombination and extraction in BHJ solar cells. Considering the large efficiency differences between PBDT[2H]T- and PBDT[2F]T-based BHJ devices, significant emphasis is given to characterizing the out-of-plane morphology of the blend films as vertical phase-separation characteristics are known to have dramatic effects on charge transport and carrier extraction in polymer-fullerene BHJ solar cells. Herein, we use electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in tandem with charge transport characterization to examine PBDT[2X]T-fullerene blend films. Our analyses show that PBDT[2H]T and PBDT[2F]T possess very different charge generation, recombination and extraction characteristics, resulting from distinct aggregation, and phase-distribution within the BHJ blend films.

Efficient and Stable PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells by Triple-Cation Perovskite Passivation

Solution-processed quantum dots (QDs) have a high potential for fabricating low-cost, flexible, and large-scale solar energy harvesting devices. It has recently been demonstrated that hybrid devices employing a single monovalent cation perovskite solution for PbS QD surface passivation exhibit enhanced photovoltaic performance when compared to standard ligand passivation. Herein, we demonstrate that the use of a triple cation Cs_0.05(MA_0.17FA_0.83)_0.95Pb(I_0.9Br_0.1)₃ perovskite composition for surface passivation of the quantum dots results in highly efficient solar cells, which maintain 96% of their initial performance after 1200 h shelf storage. We confirm perovskite shell formation around the PbS nanocrystals by a range of spectroscopic techniques as well as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. We find that the triple cation shell results in a favorable energetic alignment to the core of the dot, resulting in reduced recombination due to charge confinement without limiting transport in the active layer. Consequently, photovoltaic devices fabricated via a single-step film deposition reached a maximum AM1.5G power conversion efficiency of 11.3% surpassing most previous reports of PbS solar cells employing perovskite passivation.

Afterglow Effects as a Tool to Screen Emissive Nongeminate Charge Recombination Processes in Organic Photovoltaic Composites

Disentangling temporally overlapping charge carrier recombination events in organic bulk heterojunctions by optical spectroscopy is challenging. Here, a new methodology for employing delayed luminescence spectroscopy is presented. The proposed method is capable of distinguishing between recombination of spatially separated charge carriers and trap-assisted charge recombination simply by monitoring the delayed luminescence (afterglow) of bulk heterojunctions with a quasi time-integrated detection scheme. Applied on the model composite of the donor poly(6,12-dihydro-6,6,12,12-tetraoctyl-indeno[1,2-b]fluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) (PIF8BT) polymer and the acceptor ethyl-propyl perylene diimide (PDI) derivative, that is, PIF8BT:PDI, the luminescence of charge-transfer (CT) states created by nongeminate charge recombination on the ns to μs timescale is observed. Fluence-dependent, quasi time-integrated detection of the CT luminescence monitors exclusively emissive charge recombination events, while rejecting the contribution of other early-time emissive processes. Trap-assisted and bimolecular charge recombination channels are identified based on their distinct dependence on fluence. The importance of the two recombination channels is correlated with the layer's order and electrical properties of the corresponding devices. Four different microstructures of the PIF8BT:PDI composite obtained by thermal annealing are investigated. Thermal annealing of PIF8BT:PDI shrinks the PDI domains in parallel with the growth of the PIF8BT domains in the blend. Common to all states studied, the delayed CT luminescence signal is dominated by trap-assisted recombination. Yet, the minor fraction of fully separated charge recombination in the overall CT emission increases as the difference in the size of the donor and acceptor domains in the PIF8BT:PDI blend becomes larger. Electric field-induced quenching measurements on complete PIF8BT:PDI devices confirm quantitatively the dominance of emissive trap-limited charge recombination and demonstrates that only 40% of the PIF8BT/PDI CT luminescence comes from the recombination of fully-separated charges, taking place within 200 ns after photoexcitation. The method is applicable to other nonfullerene acceptor blends beyond the system discussed here, if their CT state luminescence can be monitored.

Dual Interfacial Design for Efficient CsPbI2 Br Perovskite Solar Cells with Improved Photostability

A synergic interface design is demonstrated for photostable inorganic mixed-halide perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) by applying an amino-functionalized polymer (PN4N) as cathode interlayer and a dopant-free hole-transporting polymer poly[5,5'-bis(2-butyloctyl)-(2,2'-bithiophene)-4,4'-dicarboxylate-alt-5,5'-2,2'-bithiophene] (PDCBT) as anode interlayer. First, the interfacial dipole formed at the cathode interface reduces the workfunction of SnO₂ , while PDCBT with deeper-lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level provides a better energy-level matching at the anode, leading to a significant enhancement in open-circuit voltage (V_oc ) of the PVSCs. Second, the PN4N layer can also tune the surface wetting property to promote the growth of high-quality all-inorganic perovskite films with larger grain size and higher crystallinity. Most importantly, both theoretical and experimental results reveal that PN4N and PDCBT can interact strongly with the perovskite crystal, which effectively passivates the electronic surface trap states and suppresses the photoinduced halide segregation of CsPbI₂ Br films. Therefore, the optimized CsPbI₂ Br PVSCs exhibit reduced interfacial recombination with efficiency over 16%, which is one of the highest efficiencies reported for all-inorganic PVSCs. A high photostability with a less than 10% efficiency drop is demonstrated for the CsPbI₂ Br PVSCs with dual interfacial modifications under continuous 1 sun equivalent illumination for 400 h.

Recombination Suppression in PbS Quantum Dot Heterojunction Solar Cells by Energy-Level Alignment in the Quantum Dot Active Layers

Using spatial energy-level gradient engineering with quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes to increase the generated carrier collection at the junction of a QD heterojunction solar cell (QDHSC) is a hopeful route for improving the energy-conversion efficiency. However, the results of current related research have shown that a variable band-gap structure in a QDHSC will create an appreciable increase, not in the illumination current density, but rather in the fill factor. In addition, there are a lack of studies on the mechanism of the effect of these graded structures on the photovoltaic performance of QDHSCs. This study presents the development of air atmosphere solution-processed TiO₂/PbS QDs/Au QDHSCs by engineering the energy-level alignment (ELA) of the active layer via the use of a sorted order of differently sized QD layers (four QD sizes). In comparison to the ungraded device (without the ELA), the optimized graded architecture (containing the ELA) solar cells exhibited a great increase (21.4%) in short-circuit current density ( J_sc). As a result, a J_sc value greater than 30 mA/cm² has been realized in planar, thinner absorption layer (∼300 nm) PbS QDHSCs, and the open-circuit voltage ( V_oc) and power-conversion efficiency (PCE) were also improved. Through characterization by the light intensity dependences of the J_sc and V_oc and transient photovoltage decay, we find that (i) the ELA structure, serving as an electron-blocking layer, reduces the interfacial recombination at the PbS/anode interface, and (ii) the ELA structure can drive more carriers toward the desirable collection electrode, and the additional carriers can fill the trap states, reducing the trap-assisted recombination in the PbS QDHSCs. This work has clearly elucidated the mechanism of the recombination suppression in the graded QDHSCs and demonstrated the effects of ELA structure on the improvement of J_sc. The charge recombination mechanisms characterized in this work would be able to shed light on further improvements of QDHSCs, which could even benefit other types of solar cells.

Interface Engineering for All-Inorganic CsPbI2 Br Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiency over 14

In this work, a SnO2 /ZnO bilayered electron transporting layer (ETL) aimed to achieve low energy loss and large open-circuit voltage (Voc ) for high-efficiency all-inorganic CsPbI2 Br perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) is introduced. The high-quality CsPbI2 Br film with regular crystal grains and full coverage can be realized on the SnO2 /ZnO surface. The higher-lying conduction band minimum of ZnO facilitates desirable cascade energy level alignment between the perovskite and SnO2 /ZnO bilayered ETL with superior electron extraction capability, resulting in a suppressed interfacial trap-assisted recombination with lower charge recombination rate and greater charge extraction efficiency. The as-optimized all-inorganic PVSC delivers a high Voc of 1.23 V and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.6%, which is one of the best efficiencies reported for the Cs-based all-inorganic PVSCs to date. More importantly, decent thermal stability with only 20% PCE loss is demonstrated for the SnO2 /ZnO-based CsPbI2 Br PVSCs after being heated at 85 °C for 300 h. These findings provide important interface design insights that will be crucial to further improve the efficiency of all-inorganic PVSCs in the future.

Vapor transport deposition of antimony selenide thin film solar cells with 7.6% efficiency

Antimony selenide is an emerging promising thin film photovoltaic material thanks to its binary composition, suitable bandgap, high absorption coefficient, inert grain boundaries and earth-abundant constituents. However, current devices produced from rapid thermal evaporation strategy suffer from low-quality film and unsatisfactory performance. Herein, we develop a vapor transport deposition technique to fabricate antimony selenide films, a technique that enables continuous and low-cost manufacturing of cadmium telluride solar cells. We improve the crystallinity of antimony selenide films and then successfully produce superstrate cadmium sulfide/antimony selenide solar cells with a certified power conversion efficiency of 7.6%, a net 2% improvement over previous 5.6% record of the same device configuration. We analyze the deep defects in antimony selenide solar cells, and find that the density of the dominant deep defects is reduced by one order of magnitude using vapor transport deposition process.

Antimony selenide possess several advantages for solar cell applications but state-of-the-art vapor transport deposition methods suffer from poor film quality. Here Wen et al. develop a fast and cheap method to reduce the defect density by 10 times and achieve a certified power conversion efficiency of 7.6%.

Cesium-Doped Vanadium Oxide as the Hole Extraction Layer for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

In this study, we report the utilization of low-temperature solution-processed Cs-doped VO_X thin films as the hole extraction layers (HELs) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). It is found that the VO_X:yCs (where y is the mole ratio of Cs versus V and y = 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5) thin films possess better electrical conductivities than that of the pristine VO_X thin film. As a result, the PSCs incorporated with the VO_X:yCs HEL exhibit large fill factors and high short-circuit currents, with consequently high power conversion efficiencies, which is more than 30% enhancement as compared with pristine VO_X HEL. Our studies provide a facial way to enhance the electrical conductivity of the hole extraction layer for boosting device performance of perovskite solar cells.

Naphthalene Diimide Based n-Type Conjugated Polymers as Efficient Cathode Interfacial Materials for Polymer and Perovskite Solar Cells

A series of naphthalene diimide (NDI) based n-type conjugated polymers with amino-functionalized side groups and backbones were synthesized and used as cathode interlayers (CILs) in polymer and perovskite solar cells. Because of controllable amine side groups, all the resulting polymers exhibited distinct electronic properties such as oxidation potential of side chains, charge carrier mobilities, self-doping behaviors, and interfacial dipoles. The influences of the chemical variation of amine groups on the cathode interfacial effects were further investigated in both polymer and perovskite solar cells. We found that the decreased electron-donating property and enhanced steric hindrance of amine side groups substantially weaken the capacities of altering the work function of the cathode and trap passivation of the perovskite film, which induced ineffective interfacial modifications and declining device performance. Moreover, with further improvement of the backbone design through the incorporation of a rigid acetylene spacer, the resulting polymers substantially exhibited an enhanced electron-transporting property. Upon use as CILs, high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 10.1% and 15.2% were, respectively, achieved in polymer and perovskite solar cells. Importantly, these newly developed n-type polymers were allowed to be processed over a broad thickness range of CILs in photovoltaic devices, and a prominent PCE of over 8% for polymer solar cells and 13.5% for perovskite solar cells can be achieved with the thick interlayers over 100 nm, which is beneficial for roll-to-roll coating processes. Our findings contribute toward a better understanding of the structure-performance relationship between CIL material design and solar cell performance, and provide important insights and guidelines for the design of high-performance n-type CIL materials for organic and perovskite optoelectronic devices.

High-Mobility p-Type Organic Semiconducting Interlayer Enhancing Efficiency and Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells

A high-mobility p-type organic semiconductor based on benzodithiophene and diketopyrrolopyrrole with linear alkylthio substituents (BDTS-2DPP) is used as a dual function interfacial layer to modify the interface of perovskite/2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N'-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene in planar perovskite solar cells. The BDTS-2DPP layer can remarkably passivate the surface defects of perovskite through the formation of Lewis adduct between the under-coordinated Pb atoms in perovskite and S atoms in BDTS-2DPP, and also shows efficient hole extraction and transfer properties. The devices with BDTS-2DPP interlayer show a peak power conversion efficiency of 18.2%, which is higher than that of reference devices without the BDTS-2DPP interlayer (16.9%). Moreover, the hydrophobic BDTS-2DPP interlayer effectively protects the perovskite against moisture, leading to enhanced device stability.

Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells Based on Blends of Conjugated Polymers with II⁻VI and IV⁻VI Inorganic Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Bulk heterojunction solar cells based on blends of quantum dots and conjugated polymers are a promising configuration for obtaining high-efficiency, cheaply fabricated solution-processed photovoltaic devices. Such devices are of significant interest as they have the potential to leverage the advantages of both types of materials, such as the high mobility, band gap tunability and possibility of multiple exciton generation in quantum dots together with the high mechanical flexibility and large molar extinction coefficient of conjugated polymers. Despite these advantages, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of these hybrid devices has remained relatively low at around 6%, well behind that of all-organic or all-inorganic solar cells. This is attributed to major challenges that still need to be overcome before conjugated polymer⁻quantum dot blends can be considered viable for commercial application, such as controlling the film morphology and interfacial structure to ensure efficient charge transfer and charge transport. In this work, we present our findings with respect to the recent development of bulk heterojunctions made from conjugated polymer⁻quantum dot blends, list the ongoing strategies being attempted to improve performance, and highlight the key areas of research that need to be pursued to further develop this technology.

Photo-Carrier Multi-Dynamical Imaging at the Nanometer Scale in Organic and Inorganic Solar Cells

Investigating the photocarrier dynamics in nanostructured and heterogeneous energy materials is of crucial importance from both fundamental and technological points of view. Here, we demonstrate how noncontact atomic force microscopy combined with Kelvin probe force microscopy under frequency-modulated illumination can be used to simultaneously image the surface photopotential dynamics at different time scales with a sub-10 nm lateral resolution. The basic principle of the method consists in the acquisition of spectroscopic curves of the surface potential as a function of the illumination frequency modulation on a two-dimensional grid. We show how this frequency-spectroscopy can be used to probe simultaneously the charging rate and several decay processes involving short-lived and long-lived carriers. With this approach, dynamical images of the trap-filling, trap-delayed recombination and nongeminate recombination processes have been acquired in nanophase segregated organic donor-acceptor bulk heterojunction thin films. Furthermore, the spatial variation of the minority carrier lifetime has been imaged in polycrystalline silicon thin films. These results establish two-dimensional multidynamical photovoltage imaging as a universal tool for local investigations of the photocarrier dynamics in photoactive materials and devices.

Correlation between CdSe QD Synthesis, Post-Synthetic Treatment, and BHJ Hybrid Solar Cell Performance

In this publication we show that the procedure to synthesize nanocrystals and the post-synthetic nanocrystal ligand sphere treatment have a great influence not only on the immediate performance of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells, but also on their thermal, long-term, and air stability. We herein demonstrate this for the particular case of spherical CdSe nanocrystals, post-synthetically treated with a hexanoic acid based treatment. We observe an influence from the duration of this post-synthetic treatment on the nanocrystal ligand sphere size, and also on the solar cell performance. By tuning the post-synthetic treatment to a certain degree, optimal device performance can be achieved. Moreover, we show how to effectively adapt the post-synthetic nanocrystal treatment protocol to different nanocrystal synthesis batches, hence increasing the reproducibility of hybrid nanocrystal:polymer bulk-heterojunction solar cells, which usually suffers due to the fluctuations in nanocrystal quality of different synthesis batches and synthesis procedures.

Polyethylenimine as a dual functional additive for electron transporting layer in efficient solution processed planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells

The device performance is enhanced by doping a small percentage of polyethylenimine (PEI) into the PCBM.

Influence of an Inorganic Interlayer on Exciton Separation in Hybrid Solar Cells

It has been shown that in hybrid polymer-inorganic photovoltaic devices not all the photogenerated excitons dissociate at the interface immediately, but can instead exist temporarily as bound charge pairs (BCPs). Many of these BCPs do not contribute to the photocurrent, as their long lifetime as a bound species promotes various charge carrier recombination channels. Fast and efficient dissociation of BCPs is therefore considered a key challenge in improving the performance of polymer-inorganic cells. Here we investigate the influence of an inorganic energy cascading Nb2O5 interlayer on the charge carrier recombination channels in poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT)-TiO2 and PbSe colloidal quantum dot-TiO2 photovoltaic devices. We demonstrate that the additional Nb2O5 film leads to a suppression of BCP formation at the heterojunction of the P3HT cells and also a reduction in the nongeminate recombination mechanisms in both types of cells. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the reduction in nongeminate recombination in the P3HT-TiO2 devices is due in part to the passivation of deep midgap trap states in the TiO2, which prevents trap-assisted Shockley-Read-Hall recombination. Consequently a significant increase in both the open-circuit voltage and the short-circuit current was achieved, in particular for P3HT-based solar cells, where the power conversion efficiency increased by 39%.

Reduced Carrier Recombination in PbS - CuInS2 Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Energy loss due to carrier recombination is among the major factors limiting the performance of TiO2/PbS colloidal quantum dot (QD) heterojunction solar cells. In this work, enhanced photocurrent is achieved by incorporating another type of hole-transporting QDs, Zn-doped CuInS2 (Zn-CIS) QDs into the PbS QD matrix. Binary QD solar cells exhibit a reduced charge recombination associated with the spatial charge separation between these two types of QDs. A ~30% increase in short-circuit current density and a ~20% increase in power conversion efficiency are observed in binary QD solar cells compared to cells built from PbS QDs only. In agreement with the charge transfer process identified through ultrafast pump/probe spectroscopy between these two QD components, transient photovoltage characteristics of single-component and binary QDs solar cells reveal longer carrier recombination time constants associated with the incorporation of Zn-CIS QDs. This work presents a straightforward, solution-processed method based on the incorporation of another QDs in the PbS QD matrix to control the carrier dynamics in colloidal QD materials and enhance solar cell performance.

Improved efficiency of bulk heterojunction hybrid solar cells by utilizing CdSe quantum dot-graphene nanocomposites

We present a significant efficiency enhancement of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells by utilizing CdSe quantum dots attached to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as the electron accepting phase, blended with the PCPDTBT polymer. The quantum dot attachment to rGO was achieved following a self-assembly approach, recently developed, using thiolated reduced graphene oxide (TrGO) to form a TrGO-CdSe nanocomposite. Therefore, we are able to obtain TrGO-CdSe quantum dot/PCPDTBT bulk-heterojunction hybrid solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of up to 4.2%, compared with up to 3% for CdSe quantum dot/PCPDTBT devices. The improvement is mainly due to an increase of the open-circuit voltage from 0.55 V to 0.72 V. We found evidence for a significant change in the heterojunction donor-acceptor blend nanomorphology, observable by a more vertical alignment of the TrGO-quantum dot nanocomposites in the z-direction and a different nanophase separation in the x-y direction compared to the quantum dot only containing device. Moreover, an improved charge extraction and trap state reduction were observed for TrGO containing hybrid solar cells.

Understanding charge transfer in carbon nanotube-fullerene bulk heterojunctions

Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube/fullerene bulk heterojunctions exhibit unique optoelectronic properties highly suitable for flexible, efficient, and robust photovoltaics and photodetectors. We investigate charge-transfer dynamics in inverted devices featuring a polyethylenimine-coated ZnO nanowire array infiltrated with these blends and find that trap-assisted recombination dominates transport within the blend and at the active layer/nanowire interface. We find that electrode modifiers suppress this recombination, leading to high performance.

Tandem and triple-junction polymer:nanocrystal hybrid solar cells consisting of identical subcells

Tandem and triple-junction polymer:nanocrystal hybrid solar cells with identical subcells based on P3HT:CdSe nanocrystal bulk heterojunctions (BHJs) are reported for the first time showing 2-fold and 3-fold increases of open-circuit voltage (VOC), respectively, relative to the single-junction cell. A combination of nanocrystalline ZnO and pH-neutral PEDOT:PSS is used as the interconnecting layer, and the thicknesses of subcells are optimized with the guidance of optical simulations. As a result, the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) exhibits a significant increase from 2.0% (VOC = 0.57 V) in single-junction devices to 2.7% (champion 3.1%, VOC = 1.28 V) in tandem devices and 2.3% (VOC = 1.98 V) in triple-junction devices.

Remote trap passivation in colloidal quantum dot bulk nano-heterojunctions and its effect in solution-processed solar cells

More-efficient charge collection and suppressed trap recombination in colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells is achieved by means of a bulk nano-heterojunction (BNH) structure, in which p-type and n-type materials are blended on the nanometer scale. The improved performance of the BNH devices, compared with that of bilayer devices, is displayed in higher photocurrents and higher open-circuit voltages (resulting from a trap passivation mechanism).

Third-generation solar cells: a review and comparison of polymer:fullerene, hybrid polymer and perovskite solar cells

Third-generation solar cells have excellent potential for delivering large scale, low-cost solar electricity. We review and compare the current understanding of the operation principles, performance improvements and future prospects for polymer:fullerene, hybrid polymer and perovskite solar cells.