4-Terminal Tandem Photovoltaic Cell Using Two Layers of PTB7:PC<sub>71</sub>BM for Optimal Light Absorption

Mantilla-Pérez, Paola; Martínez-Otero, Alberto; Romero‐Gómez, Pablo; Martorell, Jordi

doi:10.1021/acsami.5b04537

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…To evaluate the suitability of the ultrathin hybrid Au/Ag film as a top transparent electrode, we studied its photovoltaic performance by fabricating semitransparent PSCs with the ultrathin hybrid Au/Ag film as the top transparent electrode. Control devices with ultrathin Ag top transparent electrodes prepared at a low deposition rate (S‐Ag) or a high deposition rate (F‐Ag) were also fabricated for comparison. The device configuration was glass/ITO/ZnO/PTB7:PC 71 BM/MoO x /ultrathin metal (Au/Ag or Ag).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High‐Performance Colorful Semitransparent Polymer Solar Cells with Ultrathin Hybrid‐Metal Electrodes and Fine‐Tuned Dielectric Mirrors

Shen

Cui

et al. 2017

Adv Funct Materials

165

142

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Polymer solar cells (PSCs) possess the unique features of semitransparency and coloration, which make them potential candidates for applications in aesthetic windows. Here, the authors fabricate inverted semitransparent PSCs with high-quality hybrid Au/Ag transparent top electrodes and finetuned dielectric mirrors (DMs). It is demonstrated that the device color can be tailored and the light harvesting in the PSCs can be enhanced by matching the bandgap of the polymer donors in the active layer with the specifically designed maximum-reflection-center-wavelengths of the DMs. A detailed chromaticity analysis of the semitransparent PSCs from both bottom and top (mirror) views is also carried out. Furthermore, the inverted semitransparent PSCs based on PTB7-Th:PC 71 BM with six pairs of DMs demonstrate a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.0% with an average visible transmittance (AVT) of 12.2%. This efficiency is one of the highest reported for semitransparent PSCs, corresponding to 81.4% of the PCE from opaque counterpart devices. The device design and processing method are also successfully adapted to a flexible substrate, resulting in a device with a competitive PCE of 6.4% with an AVT of 11.5%. To the best of our knowledge, this PCE value is the highest value reported for a flexible semitransparent PSC.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High‐Performance Colorful Semitransparent Polymer Solar Cells with Ultrathin Hybrid‐Metal Electrodes and Fine‐Tuned Dielectric Mirrors

Shen

Cui

et al. 2017

Adv Funct Materials

165

142

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“…PTB7‐Th:4TIC was used as active layer. Again to improve the absorption of active layers suffering from thickness‐dependent performance, Mantilla‐Perez et al fabricated a four‐terminal homo‐tandem solar cell . A glass substrate coated with indium‐doped tin oxide (ITO) on both sides was used to build single‐junction cells on each side ( Figure a).…”

Section: Tandem Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Solution‐Processed Multijunction Organic Solar Cells

2018

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Single-junction solar cells are principally limited in performance by two factors (Figure 1a). Electrons excited by photons with energy higher than the bandgap relax to the band edges, releasing surplus energy as heat (thermalization loss). Photons with energy lower than the bandgap are not absorbed (transmission loss). These losses can be alleviated with two or more absorber layers. The first layer should feature a wide bandgap material to reduce the thermalization loss for high-energy photons. The second layer should have a lower bandgap to absorb the low-energy photons that pass the first layer. In such configuration a tandem cell provides less thermalization and less transmission losses than each of the corresponding single-junction cells. In the detailed-balance limit, a double-junction (tandem) cell can reach an efficiency of 42% and a triple-junction cell 49%. [6] To construct a tandem cell, the two complementary absorber layers must be stacked optically and electrically ( Figure 1b). The interconnecting layer (ICL) between the two subcells must pass light and sustain the photocurrent by providing an optically transparent electrical contact for recombination of electrons and holes from the adjacent photoactive layers. The Fermi level of the hole-transporting layer (HTL) and the electron-transporting layer (ETL) that jointly form the ICL must match the relevant highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels in the adjacent photoactive layers (Figure 1b). The ICL should not cause voltage losses and have low resistance. The open-circuit voltage (V OC ) of the tandem solar cell is ideally the sum of the V OC s of the subcells and the photocurrent is limited by the subcell generating less current. To overcome the intrinsic performance limits of single-junction cells, the subcells should absorb complementary regions of the solar spectrum and generate equal photocurrent.In the first organic tandem solar cells, materials were thermally evaporated. Initially only metal clusters were used to interconnect the subcells, [7][8][9] later complemented by p-and n-doped organic transport layers. [10,11] In 2007, the first fully solution-processed tandem polymer solar cells were reported by Gilot et al. [12] and Kim et al. [13] In both examples the ICL featured a layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as HTL, stacked on top of either a zinc oxide or a titanium oxide layer as ETL. Kim et al. achieved a PCE of 6.5%. Since then PCEs have steadily increased. Major improvements involved the use of more efficient photoactive blends that afford a high V OC relative to their optical bandgap The efficiency of organic solar cells can benefit from multijunction device architectures, in which energy losses are substantially reduced. Herein, recent developments in the field of solution-processed multijunction organic solar cells are described. Recently, various strategies have been investigated and implemented to improve the performance of these device...

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“…In addition, a series connected triple junction device requires matching of the short-circuit currents of the three subcells. This current matching combined with the largest possible short circuit current is the solution targeted by our numerical approach based on the transfer matrix , to numerically compute the electrical field distribution and light absorption within each one of the cell layers. The optimal electrical field intensity profile and simulated EQEs for each one of the subcells in the triple junction device is shown in parts b and c of Figure , respectively.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutral Water Splitting Catalysis with a High FF Triple Junction Polymer Cell

et al. 2016

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We report a photovoltaics-electrochemical (PV-EC) assembly based on a compact and easily processable triple homo-junction polymer cell with high fill factor (76%), optimized conversion efficiencies up to 8.7 % and enough potential for the energetically demanding water splitting reaction (Voc = 2.1 V). A platinum-free cathode made of abundant materials is coupled to a ruthenium oxide on glassy carbon anode (GC-RuO 2 ) to perform the reaction at optimum potential (ΔE = 1.70-1.78 V, overpotential = 470-550 mV). The GC-RuO 2 anode contains a single monolayer of catalyst corresponding to a superficial concentration (Γ) of 0.15 nmol cm -2 and is highly active at pH 7. The PV-EC cell achieves solar to hydrogen conversion efficiencies (STH) ranging from 5.6 to 6.0 %. As a result of the solar cell's high fill factor, the optimal photovoltaic response is found at 1.70 V, the minimum potential at which the electrodes used perform the water splitting reaction. This allows generating hydrogen at efficiencies that would be very similar (96%) to those obtained as if the system were to be operating at 1.23 V, the thermodynamic potential threshold for the water splitting reaction.

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4-Terminal Tandem Photovoltaic Cell Using Two Layers of PTB7:PC₇₁BM for Optimal Light Absorption

Cited by 10 publications

References 35 publications

High‐Performance Colorful Semitransparent Polymer Solar Cells with Ultrathin Hybrid‐Metal Electrodes and Fine‐Tuned Dielectric Mirrors

High‐Performance Colorful Semitransparent Polymer Solar Cells with Ultrathin Hybrid‐Metal Electrodes and Fine‐Tuned Dielectric Mirrors

Advances in Solution‐Processed Multijunction Organic Solar Cells

Neutral Water Splitting Catalysis with a High FF Triple Junction Polymer Cell

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4-Terminal Tandem Photovoltaic Cell Using Two Layers of PTB7:PC71BM for Optimal Light Absorption

Cited by 10 publications

References 35 publications

High‐Performance Colorful Semitransparent Polymer Solar Cells with Ultrathin Hybrid‐Metal Electrodes and Fine‐Tuned Dielectric Mirrors

High‐Performance Colorful Semitransparent Polymer Solar Cells with Ultrathin Hybrid‐Metal Electrodes and Fine‐Tuned Dielectric Mirrors

Advances in Solution‐Processed Multijunction Organic Solar Cells

Neutral Water Splitting Catalysis with a High FF Triple Junction Polymer Cell

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

4-Terminal Tandem Photovoltaic Cell Using Two Layers of PTB7:PC₇₁BM for Optimal Light Absorption