Plasmonic‐Enhanced Organic Photovoltaics: Breaking the 10% Efficiency Barrier

Abstract

Recent advances in molecular organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have shown 10% power conversion efficiency (PCE) for single-junction cells, which put them in direct competition with PVs based on amorphous silicon. Incorporation of plasmonic nanostructures for light trapping in these thin-film devices offers an attractive solution to realize higher-efficiency OPVs with PCE>>10%. This article reviews recent progress on plasmonic-enhanced OPV devices using metallic nanoparticles, and one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) patterned periodic nanostructures. We discuss the benefits of using various plasmonic nanostructures for broad-band, polarization-insensitive and angle-independent absorption enhancement, and their integration with one or two electrode(s) of an OPV device.

Uncovering loss mechanisms in silver nanoparticle-blended plasmonic organic solar cells

“…Given that the plasmonic effects are strongly distance dependent, the incorporation of NPs within the active layer of the OSC would yield the best optical enhancements 3,8,37 . As concluded from charge dynamic measurements, the existence of these foreign entities introduces traps either through the ligands or the NPs.…”

“…Although it is generally believed that smaller NPs (o20 nm) can function as subwavelength antennas to couple the enhanced near field to active layer 37 , these smaller NPs have weak light scattering and possess a higher surface-to-volume ratio that can also result in more charge carrier trapping sites. On the other hand, use of NPs that are too big (460 nm) may bring about deleterious effects of strong metallic absorption; disruption of the BHJ morphology; and shunting problems.…”

Molecular interfaces for plasmonic hot electron photovoltaics

“…3 In particular, the use of metallic nanostructures has proved beneficial in a number of systems, from photovoltaics [4][5][6] to photodetectors. 2,7,8 The enhanced performance in these devices typically stems from the superior light trapping characteristics of such structures, which yield increased absorption in the surrounding semiconductors.…”

Localized fields, global impact: Industrial applications of resonant plasmonic materials

“…These techniques have been used to improve the performance of thin-fi lm silicon, 29 organic, 30 and dye-sensitized 23 cells, enabling greater light absorption in the thin active layer and increasing the short-circuit current. For example, plasmonic inclusions can enable a 30-fold reduction in silicon wafer thickness while maintaining 85% of the original effi ciency.…”