Performance Analysis and Optimization of a PBDB-T:ITIC Based Organic Solar Cell Using Graphene Oxide as the Hole Transport Layer

Abstract

The hole transport layer (HTL) in organic solar cells (OSCs) plays an imperative role in boosting the cell’s performance. PEDOT: PSS is a conventional HTL used in OSCs owing to its high design cost and instability issues. It can be replaced with graphene oxide to increase the cell performance by overcoming instability issues. Graphene oxide (GO) has gained popularity in recent years for its practical use in solar energy due to its remarkable mechanical, electrical, thermal, and optical properties. This work uses SCAPS-1D to examine the results of graphene oxide (GO)-based organic solar cells by giving a comparison between the performance of absorber layers and a GO-based HTL to see which absorber material interacts more strongly with GO. The absorber layer PBDB-T:ITIC paired with GO as HTL outperforms the other absorber layers due to its better optical and electrical characteristics. Numerical simulations are performed within the SCAPS software at various absorber layer thicknesses, defect densities, and doping values to assess the influence on device performance and efficiency. After cell optimization, the best efficiency of an improved OSC is found to be 17.36%, and the outcomes of the simulated OSC are referenced to the results of the experimentally implemented OSC. These results provide a possible future direction for developing GO-based OSCs with higher efficiency.

Review of Luminescence-Based Light Spectrum Modifications Methods and Materials for Photovoltaics Applications

“…Some promising materials based on Eu and Dy were used by several groups. They provided the possibility of efficiency improvement in various cells' structures and configurations, most prominently for quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) [74,75]. These materials even became commercially available in the form of luminescent powders such as Sr 4 Al 14 O 25 : Eu, Dy (BGL-300M), and SrAl 2 O 4 : Eu, and Dy (G-300M) by NEMOTO LUMIN-NOVA ® [76].…”

Device Modeling of Efficient PBDB-T:PZT-Based All-Polymer Solar Cell: Role of Band Alignment

“…In [ 34 ], the PTB7:PC 70 BM blend has been explored with different electron transport layer (ETL) materials, and it was found that Zn(O,S) is the most suitable partner, that achieved a PCE of 17.15%. Some simulation studies inspected the replacement of the conventional PEDOT:PSS with other promising candidates [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Regarding these simulation studies, and many others, all-polymer SCs based on polymerized acceptors have not been investigated by simulation until now, to the best of our knowledge.…”

The Efficiency Study of Graphene Synthesis on Copper Substrate via Chemical Vapor Deposition Method with Methanol Precursor

“…Graphene can be conducted as a kind of functional material for flexible and transparent devices due to its unique structures, excellent physical properties, and terrific mechanical and flexible characteristics, which result in lots of potential applications in the fields of biosensors [ 1 , 2 ], supercapacitors [ 3 ], liquid crystal devices [ 4 ], electronic devices [ 5 ], solar cell [ 6 , 7 ], catalysts [ 8 ], and even in energy storage and battery applications [ 9 ]. Owing to the sp 2 bonds and π bond with carbon atoms tightly and regularly arranged in a single layer of hexagonal honeycomb-like, two-dimensional structures [ 10 ], the electrons in graphene can move freely which result in an excellent electrical conductivity and very high mobility at room temperature [ 11 , 12 ].…”