The improved performance in the ternary bulk heterojunction solar cells

The ternary blend films have been fabricated via adding 4,4’-N,N’-dicarbazole-biphenyl(CBP,a hole transport material widely used in organic light emitting diodes) into the poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl C 61-butyric acid methyl ester(P3HT:PCBM).Despite the wide bandgap(3.1 eV) of the CBP,the solar cell utilizing the optimized P3HT:PCBM:CBP blend film showed an increase of 16% in power conversion efficiency and 25% in short-circuit current than the compared standard P3HT:PCBM blend film.This is attributed to the fact that the addition of the CBP could enhance the aggregation of the P3HT chains and thereby reduce the hole-electron recombination at the interface of P3HT and PCBM.We provide a simple,effective way to improve the performance of P3HT based bulk heterojunction solar cells.     

The Near Surface Morphology of P3HT：PCBM Blend Films Studied by Near-Edge X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure

The microstructure of poly（3-hexylthiophene） （P3HT） and [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） blends with various annealing temperatures are investigated in detail by the near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure. Under higher anneMing temperature （Tanneal ≥ 160℃）, P3HT shows an unusual fluidity and aggregation in the surface. After annealing, the enrichment polymer component recrystallizes and forms a single P3HT phase layer in the surface of blend films. Moreover, it gives direct evidence of the PCBM content diffusing to the near surface of blend films during annealing treatment. These findings are beneficial to improving the morphology of polymer/fullerene blend films.     

Improving the performance of polymer solar cells by adjusting the crystallinity and nanoscale phase separation

In this paper, we report a high-performance P3HT/PCBM bulk-heterojunction solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 4.85% fabricated by adjusting the polymer crystallinity and nanoscale phase separation using an ultrasonic irradiation mixing approach for the polymer. The grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, UV/Vis spectroscopic, and atomic force microscopic measurement results for the P3HT/PCBM blend films reveal that the P3HT/PCBM film fabricated by ultrasonic irradiation mixing of the P3HT and PCBM solutions for 10 min has a higher degree of crystallinity, a higher absorption efficiency, and better phase separation, which together account for the higher charge transport properties and photovoltaic cell performance.     

Self-assembled monolayer modified copper(Ⅰ) iodide hole transport layer for efficient polymer solar cells

The morphology of the copper iodide(CuⅠ) film as an inorganic p-type material has an important influence on enhancing the performance of polymer solar cells(PSCs). A self-assembled monolayer of 3-aminopropanoic acid(C_3-SAM) was used on the surface of indium tin oxide(ITO) before depositing the CuⅠ films. Consequently, a well-distributed and smooth CuⅠ film was formed with pinhole free and complete surface coverage. The root mean square of the corresponding CuⅠ film was reduced from 3.63 nm for ITO/CuⅠ to 0.77 nm. As a result, the average power conversion efficiency(PCE) of PSCs with the device structure of ITO/C_3-SAM/CuⅠ/P3 HT:PC_(61)BM/ZnO/Al increased significantly from 2.55%(best 2.66%) to 3.04%(best 3.20%) after C_3-SAM treatment. This work provides an effective strategy to control the morphology of CuⅠ films through interfacial modification and promotes its application in efficient PSCs.     

Performance and Stability of Polymer Solar Cells Based on the Blends of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) and Indene-C_(60) Bis-Adduct

The performance and morphology stability of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) as the donor and indene-C_(60) bisadduct(ICBA) or methanofullerene[6,6]-phenyl C_(61)-butyric acid methyl ester(PCBM) as the acceptor are compared.Effect of the different donor and acceptor weight ratios on photovoltaic performance of the P3HT:ICBA device is studied.The optimal device achieved power conversion efficiency of 5.51%with J_(sc) of 10.86 mA/cm~2,V_(oc) of 0.83 V,and fill factor(FF) of 61.1%under AM 1.5G(100mW/cm~2)simulated solar illumination.However,the stability measurement shows that cells based on P3HT:ICBA are less stable than those of the device based on P3HT:PCBM.Atomic force microscope results reveal that the morphology of the P3HT:ICBA film changed considerably during the storage periods due to unstable interpenetrating D-A network.This observation can be explained by the fact that there is lack of intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the P3HT:ICBA system.However,in the P3HT:PCBM system the molecules in the blend film are firmly held together in the solid state by means of intermolecular hydrogen bonds originating from C-H… Os bonds(where Os comes from the singly-bonded O atom of PCBM),forming a stable three-dimensional network.The measured PL decay lifetimes for P3HT:PCBM and P3HT:ICBA systems are 33.66 ns and 35.34 ns,respectively,indicating that the P3HT:ICBA system has a less efficient exciton separation efficiency than that of P3HT:PCBM,which may result in the interfacial photogenerated charges accumulated on the D:A interface.Such progressive phase segregation between P3HT and ICBA eventually leads to the degradation in performance and deteriorates the stability of the device.We also present an approach to enhance the stability of P3HT:ICBA systems by adding PCBM as the second acceptor.Our results show that by carefully tuning the contents of PCBM as the second acceptor,more stable polymer solar cells can be obtained.     

Photoinduced degradation of organic solar cells with different microstructures

An in situ measurement setup is established to investigate the photoinduced degradation effects in a controllable inert gas ambient environment for the two different microstructures of poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyricacid methyl ester(PCBM) bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells. The two devices are fabricated with the solvent vapor drying process followed by a thermal annealing(vapor drying device) and only a normal thermal annealing process(control device), respectively. Their power conversion efficiencies(PCEs) and aging features are compared. Their different degradation behaviors in light absorption are confirmed. In addition, irradiation-induced changes in both nanostructure and surface morphology of the P3HT:PCBM blend films treated with two different fabrication processes are observed through scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Aggregated bulbs are observed at the surfaces for control devices after light irradiation for 50 h, while the vapor drying devices exhibit smooth film surfaces, and the corresponding device features are not easy to degrade under the aging measurement. Thus the devices having solvent vapor drying and thermal annealing show better device stabilities than those having only the thermal annealing process.     

Effect of slow-solvent-vapour treatment on performance of polymer photovoltaic devices

In this work, enhanced poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) bulkheterojunction photovoltaic devices are achieved via slow-solvent-vapour treatment. The correlations between the morphology of the active layer and the photovoltaic performance of polymer-based solar cell are investigated. The active layers are characterized by atomic force microscopy and optical absorption. The results show that slow-solventvapour treatment can induce P3HT self-organization into an ordered structure, leading to the enhanced absorption and efficient charge transport.     

Broadband absorption enhancement with ultrathin MoS_2 film in the visible regime

The broadband absorption enhancement effect in ultrathin molybdenum disulfide(Mo S2)films is investigated.It is achieved by inserting the Mo S2 film between a dielectric film and a one-dimensional silver grating backed with a silver mirror.The broadband absorption enhancement in the visible region is achieved,which exhibits large integrated absorption and short-circuit current density for solar energy under normal incidence.The optical properties of the proposed absorber are found to be superior to those of a reference planar structure,which makes the proposed structure advantageous for practical photovoltaic application.Moreover,the integrated absorption and short-circuit current density can be maintained high for a wide range of incident angles.A qualitative understanding of such broadband absorption enhancement effect is examined by illustrating the electromagnetic field distribution at some selected wavelengths.The results pave the way for developing high-performance optoelectronic devices,such as solar cells,photodetectors,and modulators.     

Highly conductive and transparent carbon nanotube-based electrodes for ultrathin and stretchable organic solar cells

In this work, we have presented a freestanding and flexible CNT-based film with sheet resistance of 60 ?/ and transmittance of 82% treated by nitric acid and chloroauric acid in sequence. Based on modified CNT film as a transparent electrode, we have demonstrated an ultrathin, flexible organic solar cell(OSC) fabricated on 2.5-μm PET substrate. The efficiency of OSC, combined with a composite film of poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) and phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester(PCBM) as an active layer and with a thin layer of methanol soluble biuret inserted between the photoactive layer and the cathode, can be up to 2.74% which is approximate to that of the reference solar cell fabricated with ITO-coated glass(2.93%). Incorporating the as-fabricated ITO-free OSC with pre-stretched elastomer, 50% compressive deformation can apply to the solar cells. The results show that the as-prepared CNT-based hybrid film with outstanding electrical and optical properties could serve as a promising transparent electrode for low cost, flexible and stretchable OSCs, which will broaden the applications of OSC and generate more solar power than it now does.     

Solvent and electric field dependence of the photocurrent generation in donor：acceptor blend system

This paper reports that the blend films of poly (2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) and N,N'-bis(1-ethylpropyl)-3,4: 9,10-perylene bis (tetracarboxyl diimide) (EP-PDI) with the weight ratio of 1:2.5 have been prepared by spin-coating from chloroform (CF) and chlorobenzene (CB) solutions respectively. The absorption spectra and the morphology of the blend films show that large crystal-like EP-PDI aggregates are formed in film prepared from CB solution, which corresponds to a new absorption shoulder near 590nm, while there is no shoulder around 590\,nm in the UV--Vis absorption spectra of the blend film from CF solution. The electric-field dependence spectra of the photocurrent generation quantum yield of the film from CB solution shows that at weak electric field the EP-PDI aggregates act as more efficient sensitizers, but at strong electric field the quantum yields become almost invariable over the entire spectral range no matter what the state of EP-PDI, monomer or aggregate. At strong electric field, the photocurrent generation yields of both films from CF and CB solution saturate and their yield spectra become spectrally similar, mentioning that at strong electric field the photoexcitons dissociate efficiently and the free charges are collected by the electrodes almost completely.     

MoO3/Ag/AI/ZnO intermediate layer for inverted tandem polymer solar cells

We report an MoO3/Ag/Al/ZnO intermediate layer connecting two identical bulk heterojunction subcells with a poly（3-hexylthiophene） and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （P3HT and PCBM） active layer for inverted tan- dem polymer solar cells. The highly transparent intermediate layer with an optimized thickness realizes an Ohmic contact between the two subcells for effective charge extraction and recombination. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 3.76% is obtained for the tandem cell under 100 mW/cm2 illumination, which is larger than that of a single cell （3.15%）. The open-circuit voltage of the tandem cell （1.18 V） approaches double that of the single cell （0.61 V）.     

Effects of acetone-soaking treatment on the performance of polymer solar cells based on P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction

The improvement of the acetone-soaking treatment to the performance of polymer solar cells based on the P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction is reported. Undergoing acetone-soaking, the PCBM does not distribute uniformly in the vertical direction, a PCBM enrichment layer forms on the top of the active layer, which is beneficial to the collec- tion of the carriers and blocking the inverting diffusion carriers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） analysis reveals that the PCBM weight ratio on the top of the active layer increases by 20% after the acetone-soaking treatment. Due to the nonuniform distribution of PCBM, the short-circuit current density, the open-circuit voltage, and the fill factor are enhanced significantly. Finally, the power conversion efficiency of the acetone-soaking device increases by 31% compared with the control device.     

Performance improvement cells using bathocuproine of MEH-PPV：PCBM solar and bathophenanthroline as the buffer layers

In this work, bathocuproine （BCP） and bathophenanthroline （Bphen）, commonly used in small-molecule organic solar cells （OSCs）, are adopted as the buffer layers to improve the performance of the polymer solar cells （PSCs） based on poly（2-methoxy-5-（2-ethylhexyloxy）-1,4-phenylenevinylene） （MEH-PPV）： [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） bulk heterojunction. By inserting BCP or Bphen between the active layer and the top cathode, all the performance parameters are dramatically improved. The power conversion efficiency is increased by about 70% and 120% with 5-am BCP and 12-nm Bphen layers, respectively, when compared with that of the devices without any buffer layer. The performance enhancement is attributed to BCP or Bphen （i） increasing the optical field, and hence the absorption in the active layer, （ii） effectively blocking the excitons generated in MEH-PPV from quenching at organic/aluminum （Al） interface due to the large band-gap of BCP or Bphen, which results in a significant reduction in series resistance （Rs）, and （iii） preventing damage to the active layer during the metal deposition. Compared with the traditional device using LiF as the buffer layer, the BCP-based devices show a comparable efficiency, while the Bphen-based devices show a much larger efficiency. This is due to the higher electron mobility in Bphen than that in BCP, which facilitates the electron transport and extraction through the buffer layer to the cathode.     

Effects of annealing rate and morphology of sol–gel derived ZnO on the performance of inverted polymer solar cells

The effects of annealing rate and morphology of sol–gel derived zinc oxide(ZnO)thin films on the performance of inverted polymer solar cells(IPSCs)are investigated.ZnO films with different morphologies are prepared at different annealing rates and used as the electron transport layers in IPSCs.The undulating morphologies of ZnO films fabricated at annealing rates of 10 C/min and 3 C/min each possess a rougher surface than that of the ZnO film fabricated at a fast annealing rate of 50 C/min.The ZnO films are characterized by atomic force microscopy(AFM),optical transmittance measurements,and simulation.The results indicate that the ZnO film formed at 3 C/min possesses a good-quality contact area with the active layer.Combined with a moderate light-scattering,the resulting device shows a 16%improvement in power conversion efficiency compared with that of the rapidly annealed ZnO film device.     

基于Al_2O_3/MoO_3复合阳极缓冲层的倒置聚合物太阳能电池的研究

采用旋涂Al_2O_3前驱体溶液和低温退火的方法在活性层上形成Al_2O_3薄膜,并与MoO_3结合形成Al_2O_3/MoO_3复合阳极缓冲层,制备了以聚3-己基噻吩:[6.6]-苯基-C_(61)-丁酸甲酯(P3HT:PC_(61)BM)为活性层的倒置聚合物太阳能电池,并通过改变Al_2O_3前驱体溶液的浓度来分析复合阳极缓冲层对器件性能的影响.结果发现,Al_2O_3/MoO_3复合阳极缓冲层能有效调控倒置聚合物太阳能电池的光电性能及其稳定性.当Al_2O_3前驱体溶液的浓度为0.15%时,器件光伏性能达到最优值,与MoO_3单缓冲层的器件相比,光电转换效率(PCE)由3.85%提高到4.64%;经过80天老化测试后,具有复合阳极缓冲层的器件PCE保留为初始值的76%,而单缓冲层的器件PCE已经下降到50%以下.器件性能得到改善的原因是Al_2O_3/MoO_3复合阳极缓冲层增强了倒置太阳能电池器件阳极对空穴的收集能力,同时钝化了器件活性层,从而提升了太阳能电池器件的光伏性能及其稳定性.     

Self-organization effect in poly（3-hexylthiophene）： methanofullerenes solar cells

This paper studies the self-organization of the polymer in solar cells based on poly（3-hexylthiophene）： [6, 6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester by controlling the growth rate of active layer. These blend films are characterized by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, charge-transport dark J - V curve, x-ray diffraction pattern curve, and atomic force microscopy. The results indicate that slowing down the drying process of the wet films leads to an enhanced selforganization, which causes an increased hole transport. Increased incident light absorption, higher carrier mobility, and balanced carrier transport in the active layer explain the enhancement in the device performance, the power conversion efficiency of 3.43% and fill factor up to 64.6% are achieved under Air Mass 1.5, 100 mW/cm^2.     

采用高传导率银铜镍网格电极的柔性聚合物太阳能电池

采用一种新的阳极材料:银、铜、镍的复合金属网格阳极,利用旋涂法制成了活性层为P3HT (poly(3-hexylthiophene)):PCBM([6,6]-phenylC61-butyricacidmethylester)的柔性衬底聚合物太阳能电池.制备了5种不同结构的柔性聚合物太阳能电池器件,将采用新型阳极材料的柔性衬底聚合物太阳能电池与传统ITO(Indium tin oxide)阳极的柔性衬底聚合物太阳能电池进行对比,发现新型阳极材料所制成的器件性能得到大幅度的提高,其电池器件在50 mW/cm~2强度光照下,开路电压(V_(oc))为0.54 V,短路电流密度(J_(sc))为5.39 mA/cm~2,能量转换效率为2.060%.     

染料敏化太阳能电池Sm~(3+)掺杂TiO_2下转换光阳极的制备及性能

用溶胶-水热法制备了Sm3+掺杂的Ti O2粉体(Ti O2∶Sm3+),将其按不同质量分数掺杂到P25基体中,制备了具有下转换功能的光阳极,并将其用于染料敏化太阳能电池中,提高了电池的光电性能。荧光光谱显示,Ti O2∶Sm3+粉体可以将紫外光转换为570~700 nm的可见光。当下转换光阳极中Ti O2∶Sm3+粉体的掺杂质量分数为80%时,短路电流密度达到13.12 m A/cm2,与纯P25光阳极相比,提高了26.5%,转换效率也提高了23.5%。     

Realization of Tip Tilting By 8-Step Line Tilting

By direct calculation of rotation matrices of SO（3）, we show how certain specific sequence of eight consecutive rotations of digital angles can yield a tilting of a facet mirror. We also design a detailed program specifically to tilt an array of mirrors from planar orientation to the required focusing orientation. We describe how to use the 8-step to realize the focusing of the mirror array. We have found, in our designed program, an important feature of row-sharing during the rotations for the columns and similarly the column-sharing during the rotations for the row. This feature can save a lot of operating time during the actual realization of the mechanical movements.