Research Progress on Polymer Solar Cells Based on PEDOT:PSS Electrodes

Abstract

Solution-processed polymer solar cells (PSCs) have attracted dramatically increasing attention over the past few decades owing to their advantages of low cost, solution processability, light weight, and excellent flexibility. Recent progress in materials synthesis and devices engineering has boosted the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of single-junction PSCs over 17%. As an emerging technology, it is still a challenge to prepare solution-processed flexible electrodes for attractive flexible PSCs. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is one of the most promising candidates for electrodes due to its high conductivity (>4000 S/cm), excellent transmittance (>90%), intrinsically high work function (WF > 5.0 eV), and aqueous solution processability. To date, a great number of single-junction PSCs based on PEDOT:PSS electrodes have realized a PCE over 12%. In this review, we introduce the current research on the conductive complex PEDOT:PSS as well as trace the development of PEDOT:PSS used in electrodes for high performance PSCs and perovskite solar cells. We also discuss and comment on the aspects of conductivity, transmittance, work-function adjustment, film preparing methods, and device fabrications. A perspective on the challenges and future directions in this field is be offered finally.

High-Conductivity, Flexible and Transparent PEDOT:PSS Electrodes for High Performance Semi-Transparent Supercapacitors

“…Having a transparent electrode is especially important for achieving high-performance, semi-transparent electronic devices. Among electrode materials [22][23][24][25], conducting polymer poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is a potential candidate due to its high transparency (over 90%), high conductivity (up to 10 3 S/cm), good flexibility, electrochemical stability, and ease of processing by solution [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. Recently, different kinds of PEDOT-based electrodes (such as nanofibrillar PEDOT, micrometer-thick PEDOT paper and free-standing PEDOT:PSS films) have been fabricated and applied successfully onto supercapacitors [38][39][40].…”

Synergetic Improvement of Stability and Conductivity of Hybrid Composites formed by PEDOT:PSS and SnO Nanoparticles

“…Hybrid composites combining organic and inorganic materials have recently become of great interest in fields such as sensors [10], and in microelectronic devices, based on the synergy between their counterparts which can lead to the development of flexible, low-cost, and scalable devices with good stability and tunable electrical and optical properties. In particular, special interest has been recently aroused by poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) in photovoltaic applications [11], as addition of inorganic materials allows to achieve new functionalities and improves the performance [12] of technologies such as hybrid silicon solar cells [13]. However, despite the promising performance reported for hybrid composites so far, several aspects still need to be further addressed, to overcome some limitations of these compounds and improve their applicability.…”

Progress in Upscaling Organic Photovoltaic Devices

“…[293] PEDOT:PSS electrodes have been tested as potential substitute for the ITO electrode in OPVs. [294] In 2004, Aernouts et al [295] made the first reports of the use of a highly conductive PEDOT:PSS anode as a potential substitute for ITO in OPV devices. Other studies have then followed using small area devices.…”