High efficiency aqueous-processed MEH-PPV/CdTe hybrid solar cells with a PCE of 4.20%

Abstract

Due to their low cost, environmental friendliness and efficiency, aqueous-processed polymer/nanocrystal hybrid solar cells (HSCs) have attracted much attention in recent years. To promote the development of aqueous-processed HSCs, the design and synthesis of new water soluble conjugated polymers (WSCPs) are required. In this work, aqueous-processed MEH-PPV/CdTe HSCs are firstly fabricated. A PCE of 4.20% is achieved, which is comparable to the oil-processed MEH-PPV/NC HSCs. The water-soluble MEH-PPV precursor could increase the miscibility between polymers and aqueous CdTe NCs, and decrease their phase size. Furthermore, by adjusting MEH-PPV/CdTe ratio and annealing temperature, the nanoscale morphology of MEH-PPV/CdTe HSCs will change, which impacts charge transfer and transport. These results provide an important approach for efficient aqueous-processed MEH-PPV/NC HSCs.