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Performance enhancement of fullerene-based solar cells by light processing

Author

Listed:
  • Zhe Li

    (Imperial College London)

  • Him Cheng Wong

    (Imperial College London)

  • Zhenggang Huang

    (Imperial College London)

  • Hongliang Zhong

    (Imperial College London)

  • Ching Hong Tan

    (Imperial College London)

  • Wing Chung Tsoi

    (Imperial College London)

  • Ji Seon Kim

    (Imperial College London)

  • James R. Durrant

    (Imperial College London)

  • João T. Cabral

    (Imperial College London)

Abstract

A key challenge to the commercialization of organic bulk heterojunction solar cells is the achievement of morphological stability, particularly under thermal stress conditions. Here we show that a low-level light exposure processing step during fabrication of blend polymer:PC60BM solar cells can result in a 10-fold increase in device thermal stability and, under certain conditions, enhanced device performance. The enhanced stability is linked to the light-induced oligomerization of PC60BM that effectively hinders their diffusion and crystallization in the blend. We thus suggest that light processing may be a promising, general and cost-effective strategy to optimize fullerene-based solar cell performance. The low level of light exposure required suggests not only that this may be an easily implementable strategy to enhance performance, but also that light-induced PC60BM oligomerization may have inadvertently influenced previous studies of organic solar cell device behaviour.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhe Li & Him Cheng Wong & Zhenggang Huang & Hongliang Zhong & Ching Hong Tan & Wing Chung Tsoi & Ji Seon Kim & James R. Durrant & João T. Cabral, 2013. "Performance enhancement of fullerene-based solar cells by light processing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 1-7, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:4:y:2013:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms3227
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3227
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    Cited by:

    1. Hu, Ziyang & Zhang, Jianjun & Huang, Like & Sun, Jingyang & Zhang, Ting & He, Hongyun & Zhang, Jing & Zhang, Houcheng & Zhu, Yuejin, 2015. "Natural drying effect on active layer for achieving high performance in polymer solar cells," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 11-17.

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