| 1. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
New method for lateral mapping of bimolecular recombination in thin-film organic solar cells
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Progress in Photovoltaics. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1062-7995 .- 1099-159X. ; 24:8, s. 1096-1108
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The best organic solar cells are limited by bimolecular recombination. Tools to study these losses are available; however, they are only developed for small area (laboratory-scale) devices and are not yet available for large area (production-scale) devices. Here we introduce the Intermodulation Light Beam-Induced Current (IMLBIC) technique, which allows simultaneous spatial mapping of both the amount of extracted photocurrent and the bimolecular recombination over the active area of a solar cell. We utilize the second-order non-linear dependence on the illumination intensity as a signature for bimolecular recombination. Using two lasers modulated with different frequencies, we record the photocurrent response at each modulation frequency and the bimolecular recombination in the second-order intermodulation response at the sum and difference of the two frequencies. Drift-diffusion simulations predict a unique response for different recombination mechanisms. We successfully verify our approach by studying solar cells known to have mainly bimolecular recombination and thus propose this method as a viable tool for lateral detection and characterization of the dominant recombination mechanisms in organic solar cells. We expect that IMLBIC will be an important future tool for characterization and detection of recombination losses in large area organic solar cells.
|
|
| 2. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
Sub-glass transition annealing enhances polymer solar cell performance
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488. ; 2:17, s. 6146-6152
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thermal annealing of non-crystalline polymer: fullerene blends typically results in a drastic decrease in solar cell performance. In particular aggressive annealing above the glass transition temperature results in a detrimental coarsening of the blend nanostructure. We demonstrate that mild annealing below the glass transition temperature is a viable avenue to control the nanostructure of a non-crystalline thiophene-quinoxaline copolymer: fullerene blend. Direct imaging methods indicate that coarsening of the blend nanostructure can be avoided. However, a combination of absorption and luminescence spectroscopy reveals that local changes in the polymer conformation as well as limited fullerene aggregation are permitted to occur. As a result, we are able to optimise the solar cell performance evenly across different positions of the coated area, which is a necessary criterion for large-scale, high throughput production.
|
|
| 3. |
- Chen, Xian-Kai, et al.
(författare)
-
A unified description of non-radiative voltage losses in organic solar cells
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 6:8, s. 799-806
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors have enabled high efficiencies yet their charge dynamics and its impact on the photovoltaic parameters are not fully understood. Now, Chen et al. provide a general description of non-radiative voltage losses in both fullerene and non-fullerene solar cells. Recent advances in organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) come with reduced non-radiative voltage losses (Delta V-nr). Here we show that, in contrast to the energy-gap-law dependence observed in conventional donor:fullerene blends, the Delta V-nr values in state-of-the-art donor:NFA organic solar cells show no correlation with the energies of charge-transfer electronic states at donor:acceptor interfaces. By combining temperature-dependent electroluminescence experiments and dynamic vibronic simulations, we provide a unified description of Delta V-nr for both fullerene- and NFA-based devices. We highlight the critical role that the thermal population of local exciton states plays in low-Delta V-nr systems. An important finding is that the photoluminescence yield of the pristine materials defines the lower limit of Delta V-nr. We also demonstrate that the reduction in Delta V-nr (for example, <0.2 V) can be obtained without sacrificing charge generation efficiency. Our work suggests designing donor and acceptor materials with high luminescence efficiency and complementary optical absorption bands extending into the near-infrared region.
|
|
| 4. |
- Gao, Feng, et al.
(författare)
-
Temperature Dependence of Charge Carrier Generation in Organic Photovoltaics
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - : American Physical Society. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 114:12, s. 128701-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The charge generation mechanism in organic photovoltaics is a fundamental yet heavily debated issue. All the generated charges recombine at the open-circuit voltage (VOC), so that investigation of recombined charges at VOC provides a unique approach to understanding charge generation. At low temperatures, we observe a decrease of VOC, which is attributed to reduced charge separation. Comparison between benchmark polymer: fullerene and polymer: polymer blends highlights the critical role of charge delocalization in charge separation and emphasizes the importance of entropy in charge generation.
|
|
| 5. |
- Qian, Deping, et al.
(författare)
-
Design rules for minimizing voltage losses in high-efficiency organic solar cells
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Nature Materials. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 1476-1122 .- 1476-4660. ; 17:8, s. 703-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The open-circuit voltage of organic solar cells is usually lower than the values achieved in inorganic or perovskite photovoltaic devices with comparable bandgaps. Energy losses during charge separation at the donor-acceptor interface and non-radiative recombination are among the main causes of such voltage losses. Here we combine spectroscopic and quantum-chemistry approaches to identify key rules for minimizing voltage losses: (1) a low energy offset between donor and acceptor molecular states and (2) high photoluminescence yield of the low-gap material in the blend. Following these rules, we present a range of existing and new donor-acceptor systems that combine efficient photocurrent generation with electroluminescence yield up to 0.03%, leading to non-radiative voltage losses as small as 0.21 V. This study provides a rationale to explain and further improve the performance of recently demonstrated high-open-circuit-voltage organic solar cells.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Tang, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
-
Improving Cathodes with a Polymer Interlayer in Reversed Organic Solar Cells
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Advanced Energy Materials. - : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 1614-6832 .- 1614-6840. ; 4:15
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effects of cathode modification by a conjugated polymer interlayer PFPA1 on the performance of reversed organic solar cells (substrate/cathode/active layer/transparent anode) based on different active material systems and different substrate electrodes are systematically investigated. A reduction of the work function irrespective of the substrate cathode used is observed upon the deposition of the PFPA1 interlayer, which is further related to an improved built-in electric field and open-circuit voltage. The amphiphilic character of the PFPA1 interlayer alters the surface energy of the substrate cathode, leading to the formation of a better active layer morphology aiding efficient exciton dissociation and photocurrent extraction in the modified solar cells. Hence, internal quantum efficiency is found to be significantly higher than that of their unmodified counterparts, while optically, the modified and unmodified solar cells are identical. Moreover, the deep highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the PFPA1 interlayer improves the selectivity for all investigated substrate cathodes, thus enhancing the fill factor.
|
|
| 8. |
- Tang, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
-
Light trapping in thin film organic solar cells
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Materials Today. - : Elsevier. - 1369-7021 .- 1873-4103. ; 17:8, s. 389-396
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- A major issue in organic solar cells is the poor mobility and recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers. The active layer has to be kept thin to facilitate charge transport and minimize recombination losses. However, optical losses due to inefficient light absorption in the thin active layers can be considerable in organic solar cells. Therefore, light trapping schemes are critically important for efficient organic solar cells. Traditional light trapping schemes for thick solar cells need to be modified for organic thin film solar cells in which coherent optics and wave effects play a significant role. In this review, we discuss the light trapping schemes for organic thin film solar cells, which includes geometric engineering of the structure of the solar cell at the micro and nanoscale, plasmonic structures, and more.
|
|
| 9. |
- Tang, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
-
Light Trapping with Dielectric Scatterers in Single- and Tandem-Junction Organic Solar Cells
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Advanced Energy Materials. - : Wiley-VCH Verlag. - 1614-6832 .- 1614-6840. ; 3:12, s. 1606-1613
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Efficient dielectric scatterers based on a mixture of TiO2 nanoparticles and polydimethylsiloxane are demonstratedfor light trapping in semitransparent organic solar cells. An improvement of 80% in the photocurrent of an optimized semitransparent solar cell is achieved with the dielectric scatterer with approximate to 100% diffuse reflectance for wavelengths larger than 400 nm. For a parallel tandem solar cell, the dielectric scatterer generates 20% more photocurrent compared with a silver mirror beneath the cell; for a series tandem solar cell, the dielectric scatterer can be used as a photocurrent balancer between the subcells with different photoabsorbing materials. The power conversion efficiency of the tandem cell in series configuration with balanced photocurrent in the subcells exceeds that of an optimized standard solar cell with a reflective electrode. The characteristics of polydimethylsiloxane, such as flexibility and the ability to stick conformably to surfaces, also remain in the dielectric scatterers, which makes the demonstrated light trapping configuration highly suitable for large scale module manufacturing of roll-to-roll printed organic single- or tandem-junction solar cells.
|
|
| 10. |
- Tang, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
-
Universal modification of poor cathodes into good ones by a polymer interlayer for high performance reversed organic solar cells
- 2014
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In organic bulk-heterojunction solar cells, energy losses at the active layer/electrode interface are often observed. Modification of these interfaces with organic interlayers optimizes charge carrier injection and extraction and thus improves device performance. In this work, the effects of cathode modification by a conjugated polymer interlayer PFPA1 on the performance of reversed organic solar cells (substrate/cathode/active layer/transparent anode) based on different active material systems and different substrate electrodes are systematically investigated. A reduction of the work function irrespective of the substrate cathode used is observed upon the deposition of the PFPA1 interlayer; further related to an improved built-in electric field and open-circuit voltage. The amphiphilic character of the PFPA1 interlayer alters the surface energy of the substrate cathode, leading to the formation of a better active layer morphology aiding efficient exciton dissociation and photocurrent extraction in the modified solar cells. Hence, internal quantum efficiency is found significantly higher than that of their unmodified counterparts, while optically, the modified and unmodified solar cells are identical. Moreover, the deep HOMO of the PFPA1 interlayer improves the selectivity for all investigated substrate cathodes, thus enhancing the fill factor. We demonstrate a possibility of improving photovoltaic performance of reversed solar cells via a simple and universal interface modification and provide the basic guidelines for development and characterization of interface materials for organic solar cells in general.
|
|
