Plasmonic Effect of Gold Nanostars in Highly Efficient Organic and Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract

Herein, a novel strategy is presented for enhancing light absorption by incorporating gold nanostars (Au NSs) into both the active layer of organic solar cells (OSCs) and the rear-contact hole transport layer of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We demonstrate that the power conversion efficiencies of OSCs and PSCs with embedded Au NSs are improved by 6 and 14%, respectively. We find that pegylated Au NSs are greatly dispersable in a chlorobenzene solvent, which enabled complete blending of Au NSs with the active layer. The plasmonic contributions and accelerated charge transfer are believed to improve the short-circuit current density and the fill factor. This study demonstrates the roles of plasmonic nanoparticles in the improved optical absorption, where the improvement in OSCs was attributed to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and in PSCs was attributed to both SPR and the backscattering effect. Additionally, devices including Au NSs exhibited a better charge separation/transfer, reduced charge recombination rate, and efficient charge transport. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the roles of plasmonic Au NS particles in OSCs and PSCs, including an insightful approach for the further development of high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Optical management in organic photovoltaic devices

“…The above methods are dedicated to improving the utilization of incident light in the active layer by modifying the electrode and transport layer. Some modification strategies can be also applicable to the active layer directly 79,80 . Janković et al 74 prepared the device by introducing spectrally tuned Au/SiO 2 core/shell NPs into the active layer of PBDTT‐DPP:PC 60 BM, as shown in Figure 4E.…”

Defining the plasmonic cavity performance based on mode transitions to realize highly efficient device design

“…A limited decline in device efficiency can be realized with a precise design choice of plasmonic nanostructures in terms of near-field enhancement deterioration rate%, absorption, and unchanged dipolar mode properties. 49 It is crucial to note that an NPOM nanostructure having geometrical parameters delivering a non-transition mode (dipolar mode only) property in combination with the edge effect is essential to realize a highly efficient device. Note that the non-transition (dipolar) mode-based NPOM nanostructures support a flexible geometrical tolerance that is advantageous for device fabrication due to an unchangeable dipolar mode property.…”

Poly(3‐hexylthiophene)/Gold Nanorod Composites as Efficient Hole‐Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells

“…The author attributed the phenomenon to both LSPR effect and backscattering effect. Apart from that, the results of impedance spectroscopy (IS) and intensity‐modulated photovoltage and photocurrent spectroscopies (IMVS and IMPS) also pointed out the electrical contribution of AuNSs . And according to previous research, an enhancement of the localized field of AuNRs could boost the localized field of perovskite, and this enhanced resonance could increase the effective absorbance of the perovskite layer and improve the IPCE .…”