Efficiency Enhancement of PEDOT:PSS/Si Hybrid Solar Cells by Using Nanostructured Radial Junction and Antireflective Surface

Abstract

ABSTRACT:We demonstrate the implementation of a hybrid solar cell that comprises a surface nanostructured ntype Si and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly-(styrenesulfonate). The Si surface before deposition of the organic layer was nanostructured by using CsCl self-assembled nanoparticles as a hard mask and dry etching to form radial junction architectures and enhance light diffusion and absorption. Apart from the textured Si surface, processing parameters such as from metal-electrode shadow ratio, spincoating rate, and surfactant addition were properly adjusted to improve overall cell performance. Our hybrid solar cells achieve the best performance under optimized cell parameters with a power conversion efficiency of 8.84% and short-circuit current density of 30.5 mA/cm 2 . This combined technique provides a simple, scalable, and cost-effective process for fabricating hybrid solar cells.

PEDOT:PSS as an Alternative Hole Selective Contact for ITO-Free Hybrid Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell

“…Various approaches have been made to enhance the performance of such devices, such as silicon surface passivation [9], surface morphology modification [10], and improvement of PEDOT:PSS conductivity [11]. Nonionic surfactants and nonionic fluorosurfactants have been used to improve the wettability of PE-DOT:PSS upon highly hydrophobic silicon, while cosolvents ethylene glycol (EG) [12], dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) [13], and methanol [14] have been reported as efficient additive agents for improving the conductivity of the coated PEDOT:PSS layer.…”

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/GaAs hybrid solar cells with 13% power conversion efficiency using front- and back-surface field

“…An alternative approach that uses low-temperature processable organic semiconductors is potentially cheaper, but the resulting organic solar cells are not as efficient. Studies on the integration of organic conducting polymers with inorganic semiconductors to form hybrid organic/inorganic heterojunction solar cells provides a means of simplifying the fabrication processes and reducing costs [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The conjugated polymer, known as poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), is the most widely used organic material for hybrid solar cell devices.…”

Highly efficient poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/Si hybrid solar cells with imprinted nanopyramid structures

“…The surface nanostructures, which are used for antireflective purposes, are useful for gradient refractive index fabrication and design for efficient antireflective structures. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Nanostructures with surface relief gratings may be understood in terms of a thin film, in which the refractive index changes gradually and continuously from the top of the structure to the bulk materials. Nanoscale surface structures, such as nanowire, 3,6 nanorod, 13 and nanocone, 4 provide enhanced absorption properties via antireflective and light scattering effects and offers a large junction area for charge separation and radial junction architecture.…”

“…Recently, solar cells with radial junction arrays have been demonstrated to have enhanced charge transport and high light-harvesting capabilities because of the decoupling of light absorption and charge-carrier collection directions. 4,13,14 Nanostructures can be fabricated using various techniques that involve lithography and etching. Among these techniques, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has recently emerged as a promising candidate for fabricating nanostructures.…”