Efficient P3HT:PCBM-Based Polymer Solar Cells Fabricated with One Dimensional Acid-Doped Polyaniline Nanotubes

  • Dr Mei-Ying Chang, Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan
  • Prof Wen-Yao Huang, Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan
  • I-Feng Chen, Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan
  • Prof Ko-Shan Ho, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan
  • Prof Tar-Hwa Hsieh, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan
  • Dr Yu-Kai Han, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan
  • Prof Ping-Tsung Huang, Department of Chemistry, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan
  • Bi-Zen Hsieh, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan

    • In this report, acid-doped polyaniline nanotubes (a-PANINs) were synthesized, and acted as an interfacial layer in P3HT:PCBM-based polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells to collect holes efficiently from the active layer and transport them to the buffer layer under the internal electric field of the fabricated ITO/buffer/ a-PANINs/ P3HT:PCBM/Al device. The sub-micron scale of the a-PANIN surface fits into the P3HT/PCBM domain and provides a well-defined contact for the transport of free charge carriers. Generally, a-PANINs provide a high-contact surface area between the interfaces and efficient pathways for the transportation of free charge carriers toward electrodes, thus reducing charge-carrier recombination within the photoactive cell. Polymer solar-cell devices based on poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) were fabricated with a one-dimensional (1-D) nanostructure of acid-doped polyaniline nanotubes (a-PANINs) as an interfacial layer. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the annealed device fabricated with an a-PANINs layer shows about 35% increase, up to 2.7% under AM 1.5 G (100 mW/cm2) illumination, when compared with the annealed device without an a-PANIN interfacial layer. Here the a-PANINs were incorporated in solution-processed (spum from o-xylene solution) polymer solar cells, yielding reproducible and controlled a-PANIN nanoscale morphology, which gave better hole-transporting pathways to the anode while maximizing the surface area for the collection of holes and the suppression of exciton recombination, thereby improving the photovoltaic performance.

    Device Type Voc(V) Jsc(mA/cm2) FF(a.u.) PCE (%)
    A 0.48 5.53 0.47 1.2
    B 0.52 6.67 0.41 1.4
    C 0.58 7.7 0.48 2.0
    D 0.62 8.37 0.51 2.7