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Improved Stability of Polymer Solar Cells in Ambient Air via Atomic Layer Deposition of Ultrathin Dielectric Layers
Author(s) -
Polydorou Ermioni,
Botzakaki Martha A.,
Sakellis Ilias,
Soultati Anastasia,
Kaltzoglou Andreas,
Papadopoulos Theodoros A.,
Briscoe Joe,
Drivas Charalabos,
Seintis Kostas,
Fakis Mihalis,
Palilis Leonidas C.,
Georga Stavroula N.,
Krontiras Christoforos A.,
Kennou Stella,
Falaras Polycarpos,
Boukos Nikos,
Davazoglou Dimitris,
Argitis Panagiotis,
Vasilopoulou Maria
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201700231
Subject(s) - materials science , atomic layer deposition , photoactive layer , chemical engineering , dielectric , solar cell , deposition (geology) , photovoltaic system , work function , layer (electronics) , polymer , polymer solar cell , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , composite material , paleontology , ecology , sediment , engineering , biology
Polymer solar cells have attracted tremendous interest in the highly competitive solar energy sector, due to the practical advantages they exhibit, such as being lightweight, flexible, and low cost, in stark contrast to traditional photovoltaic technologies. However, their successful commercialization is still hindered by issues related to device instability. Here, atomic layer deposition (ALD) is employed to deposit conformal ultrathin dielectrics, such as alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) and zirconia (ZrO 2 ), on top of ZnO electron extraction layers to address problems that arise from the defect‐rich nature of these layers. The deposition of dielectrics on ZnO significantly improves its interfacial electronic properties, manifested primarily with the decrease in the work function of ZnO and the concomitant reduction of the electron extraction barrier as well as the reduced recombination losses. Significant efficiency enhancement is obtained with the incorporation of six ALD cycles of Al 2 O 3 into inverted devices, using photoactive layers, that consist of poly(3‐hexylthiophene):indene‐C 60 ‐bisadduct or poly({4,8‐bis[(2‐ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl}{3‐fluoro‐2‐[(2‐ethylhexyl)carbonyl] thieno[3,4‐b] thiophenediyl}):[6,6]‐phenyl‐C 7 0 ‐butyric acid methyl ester. More importantly, upon performing lifetime studies (over a period of 350 h), a strong improvement in polymer solar cell stability is observed when using the ALD‐modified ZnO films.