Doping ZnO Electron Transport Layers with MoS2 Nanosheets Enhances the Efficiency of Polymer Solar Cells.

In this study, we incorporated molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets into sol-gel processing of zinc oxide (ZnO) to form ZnO:MoS2 composites for use as electron transport layers (ETLs) in inverted polymer solar cells featuring a binary bulk heterojunction active layer. We could effectively tune the energy band of the ZnO:MoS2 composite film from 4.45 to 4.22 eV by varying the content of MoS2 up to 0.5 wt %, such that the composite was suitable for use in bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices based on poly[bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thien-2-yl)benzodithiophene- alt-(4-(2-ethylhexyl)-3-fluorothienothiophene)-2-carboxylate-2,6-diyl] (PTB7-TH)/phenyl-C71-butryric acid methyl ester (PC71BM). In particular, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the PTB7-TH/PC71BM (1:1.5, w/w) device incorporating the ZnO:MoS2 (0.5 wt %) composite layer as the ETL was 10.1%, up from 8.8% for the corresponding device featuring ZnO alone as the ETL, a relative increase of 15%. Incorporating a small amount of MoS2 nanosheets into the ETL altered the morphology of the ETL and resulted in enhanced current densities, fill factors, and PCEs for the devices. We used ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, synchrotron grazing incidence wide-/small-angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to characterize the energy band structures, internal structures, surface roughness, and morphologies, respectively, of the ZnO:MoS2 composite films.

Block Copolymer-Tuned Fullerene Electron Transport Layer Enhances the Efficiency of Perovskite Photovoltaics.

In this study, we enhanced the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells by employing an electron transfer layer (ETL) comprising [6,6]phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) and, to optimize its morphology, a small amount of the block copolymer polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO), positioned on the perovskite active layer. When incorporating 0.375 wt % PS-b-PEO into PC61BM, the PCE of the perovskite photovoltaic device increased from 9.4% to 13.4%, a relative increase of 43%, because of a large enhancement in the fill factor of the device. To decipher the intricate morphology of the ETL, we used synchrotron grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering for determining the PC61BM cluster size, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy for probing the surface, and transmission electron microscopy for observing the aggregation of PC61BM in the ETL. We found that the interaction between PS-b-PEO and PC61BM resulted in smaller PC61BM clusters that further aggregated into dendritic structures in some domains, a result of the similar polarities of the PS block and PC61BM; this behavior could be used to tune the morphology of the ETL. The optimal PS-b-PEO-mediated PC61BM cluster size in the ETL was 17 nm, a large reduction from 59 nm for the pristine PC61BM layer. This approach of incorporating a small amount of nanostructured block copolymer into a fullerene allowed us to effectively tune the morphology of the ETL on the perovskite active layer and resulted in enhanced fill factors of the devices and thus their device efficiency.

Solution-processed zinc oxide/polyethylenimine nanocomposites as tunable electron transport layers for highly efficient bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells.

In this study, we employed polyethylenimine-doped sol-gel-processed zinc oxide composites (ZnO:PEI) as efficient electron transport layers (ETL) for facilitating electron extraction in inverted polymer solar cells. Using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, synchrotron grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy, we observed that ZnO:PEI composite films' energy bands could be tuned considerably by varying the content of PEI up to 7 wt %-the conduction band ranged from 4.32 to 4.0 eV-and the structural order of ZnO in the ZnO:PEI thin films would be enhanced to align perpendicular to the ITO electrode, particularly at 7 wt % PEI, facilitating electron transport vertically. We then prepared two types of bulk heterojunction systems-based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):phenyl-C61-butryric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) and benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b́]dithiophene-thiophene-2,1,3-benzooxadiazole (PBDTTBO):phenyl-C71-butryric acid methyl ester (PC71BM)-that incorporated the ZnO:PEI composite layers. When using a composite of ZnO:PEI (93:7, w/w) as the ETL, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the P3HT:PC61BM (1:1, w/w) device improved to 4.6% from a value of 3.7% for the corresponding device that incorporated pristine ZnO as the ETL-a relative increase of 24%. For the PBDTTBO:PC71BM (1:2, w/w) device featuring the same amount of PEI blended in the ETL, the PCE improved to 8.7% from a value of 7.3% for the corresponding device that featured pure ZnO as its ETL-a relative increase of 20%. Accordingly, ZnO:PEI composites can be effective ETLs within organic photovoltaics.

Synthesis, characterization, and photovoltaic properties of a low-bandgap copolymer based on 2,1,3-benzooxadiazole.

PBDTBO, a conjugated polymer comprising benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) and 5,6-bis(octyloxy)benzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazole (BO) units, exhibits a deep HOMO energy level of -5.27 eV and excellent solubility. A device incorporating PBDTBO and [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (1:1, w/w) exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 5.7%.