Efficiency enhancement of P3HT:PCBM solar cells
containing scattering Zn-Al hydrotalcite nanoparticles
in the PEDOT:PSS layer

• Authors: Margherita Bolognesi , Marta Tessarolo , Tamara Posati , Morena Nocchetti , Valentina Benfenati , Mirko Seri , Giampiero Ruani , Michele Muccini
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

In this article we report on a new hybrid (organic-inorganic)
composite material based on hydrophilic, electrically inert and
semi-transparent hydrotalcite (HT) nanoparticles and a pHneutral
formulation of PEDOT:PSS. The application of this
composite material as electrically and optically active buffer
layer in P3HT:PC61BM bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells
is reported. Two different synthetic routes are explored to obtain
HTs having discoid shape, with a diameter of around 150-
200 nm and a thickness of ~20 nm, to be easily embedded in
~50 nm thick PEDOT:PSS films. The good affinity between
HTs and the sulfonate groups of the PEDOT:PSS allows to
obtain homogeneous HTs/PEDOT:PSS films, for HT concentrations
of 0.25% and 0.50% by weight (vs. PEDOT:PSS). At
these particle loads the electrical and morphological features
of doped and undoped PEDOT:PSS films are nearly identical,
while providing a significant effect on the visible light scattering
properties of the composite films. We demonstrate
~12% improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE)
for P3HT:PC61BM solar cells incorporating HTs in the PEDOT:
PSS layer, which mainly originates from increased shortcircuit
current densities (JSC).

Keywords

EN

composite film; hydrotalcite; light scattering; bulkheterojunction OPV; PEDOT:PSS

Discipline

• 78.66.Sq: Composite materials
• 82.70.Uv: Surfactants, micellar solutions, vesicles, lamellae, amphiphilic systems, (hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions)(see also 82.30.Rs Hydrogen bonding, hydrophilic effects in specific chemical reactions)
• 78.35.+c: Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering; other light scattering(for Raman scattering, see 78.30.-j; for time resolved light scattering spectroscopy, see 78.47.je)
• 81.07.Pr: Organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures
• 88.40.jr: Organic photovoltaics

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Organic Photonics and Photovoltaics
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 1
• Pages: 1-10

Dates

online

03 - 06 - 2013

received

20 - 2 - 2013

accepted

24 - 4 - 2013

Contributors

author

Margherita Bolognesi

• Laboratory MIST E-R, Via P. Gobetti, 101 - Bologna I-40129, Italy

author

Marta Tessarolo

• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio dei
  Materiali Nanostrutturati (CNR-ISMN),Via P. Gobetti,
  101 - Bologna I-40129, Italy

author

Tamara Posati

• Laboratory MIST E-R, Via P. Gobetti, 101 - Bologna I-40129, Italy

author

Morena Nocchetti

• Dipartimento di Chimica and Centro di Eccellenza Materiali
  Innovativi Nanostrutturati (CEMIN), Università di Perugia,
  Via Elce di Sotto 10, 06123 Perugia, Italy

author

Valentina Benfenati

• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica
  e la Fotoreattività (CNR-ISOF) Via P. Gobetti,
  101 - Bologna I-40129, Italy

author

Mirko Seri

• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Sintesi Organica
  e la Fotoreattività (CNR-ISOF) Via P. Gobetti,
  101 - Bologna I-40129, Italy

author

Giampiero Ruani

• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio dei
  Materiali Nanostrutturati (CNR-ISMN),Via P. Gobetti,
  101 - Bologna I-40129, Italy

author

Michele Muccini

• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio dei
  Materiali Nanostrutturati (CNR-ISMN),Via P. Gobetti,
  101 - Bologna I-40129, Italy

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/oph-2013-0001