Issue 10, 2018

Improved efficiency in fullerene and non-fullerene polymer solar cells having an interdigitated interface with the electron transport layer

Abstract

We report improved efficiency in fullerene and non-fullerene polymer solar cells utilizing an interdigitated interface between the photoactive layer and the PFN-OX electron transport layer (ETL). This interdigitated interface is formed in situ during the solution casting process of the photoactive layer on the blend films made of electron-transporting PFN-OX and template materials of either semi-conducting 3,9-bis(2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis((4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2′,3′-d′]-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b′]dithiophene) (ITIC) or insulating polystyrene (PS). Compared to the devices having a planar interface between PFN-OX and the photoactive layer, devices with an interdigitated interface templated by ITIC increased the efficiency of PTB7-Th:PC71BM solar cells from 9.3% to 10.4%, with the device having an interdigitated interface templated by PS exhibiting a PCE of 9.9%. PTB7-Th:ITIC non-fullerene solar cells employing this ITIC-templated interdigitated PFN-OX ETL exhibited an enhanced PCE from 7.4% to 8.3%. Interfacial charge transport studies support that favorable electrical doping of PFN-OX to ITIC as well as charge transfer between PTB7-Th and ITIC contribute to this superior efficiency enhancement in devices employing an ITIC-templated interdigitated PFN-OX ETL. This work provides a new strategy for constructing a novel ETL to prepare high efficiency polymer solar cells.

Graphical abstract: Improved efficiency in fullerene and non-fullerene polymer solar cells having an interdigitated interface with the electron transport layer

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
16 jul 2018
Accepted
07 avg 2018
First published
09 avg 2018

Mater. Chem. Front., 2018,2, 1859-1865

Improved efficiency in fullerene and non-fullerene polymer solar cells having an interdigitated interface with the electron transport layer

Y. Yan, W. Li, J. Cai, M. Chen, Y. Mao, X. Chen, R. S. Gurney, D. Liu, F. Huang and T. Wang, Mater. Chem. Front., 2018, 2, 1859 DOI: 10.1039/C8QM00347E

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