Conjugated polymer–inorganic semiconductor hybrid solar cells

Abstract

Polymer–inorganic semiconductor hybrid solar cells have attracted extensive research and attention as a promising approach to achieve cost effective solar energy. Power conversion efficiencies exceeding 3% have been achieved for polymer–inorganic hybrid solar cells. However, these efficiencies are still lower than those of polymer-fullerene solar cells, which have recently reached up to 8.13%. In this article, we review the recent developments including device operation mechanism, cell structures, polymer and inorganic materials, and various approaches to improve cell performance. In addition, the dependence of power conversion efficiency on the polymer bandgap and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) using several typical inorganic acceptors including TiO₂, ZnO and CdSe are presented and may provide guidance for the engineering of donor polymers.