π-Conjugated Polymers and Their Application in Organic and Hybrid Organic-Silicon Solar Cells

Abstract

The evolution and emergence of organic solar cells and hybrid organic-silicon heterojunction solar cells have been deemed as promising sustainable future technologies, owing to the use of π-conjugated polymers. In this regard, the scope of this review article presents a comprehensive summary of the applications of π-conjugated polymers as hole transporting layers (HTLs) or emitters in both organic solar cells and organic-silicon hybrid heterojunction solar cells. The different techniques used to synthesize these polymers are discussed in detail, including their electronic band structure and doping mechanisms. The general architecture and principle of operating heterojunction solar cells is addressed. In both discussed solar cell types, incorporation of π-conjugated polymers as HTLs have seen a dramatic increase in efficiencies attained by these devices, owing to the high transmittance in the visible to near-infrared region, reduced carrier recombination, high conductivity, and high hole mobilities possessed by the p-type polymeric materials. However, these cells suffer from long-term stability due to photo-oxidation and parasitic absorptions at the anode interface that results in total degradation of the polymeric p-type materials. Although great progress has been seen in the incorporation of conjugated polymers in the various solar cell types, there is still a long way to go for cells incorporating polymeric materials to realize commercialization and large-scale industrial production due to the shortcomings in the stability of the polymers. This review therefore discusses the progress in using polymeric materials as HTLs in organic solar cells and hybrid organic-silicon heterojunction solar cells with the intention to provide insight on the quest of producing highly efficient but less expensive solar cells.

Polyaniline/ZnO Hybrid Nanocomposite: Morphology, Spectroscopy and Optimization of ZnO Concentration for Photovoltaic Applications

“…Amongst organic semiconductors, polymeric semiconductors are the best materials- due to their solubility in a variety of organic solvents that consequently lead to facile device fabrication methods, i.e., spin-coating, drop-casting, dip-coating, etc. [ 7 , 8 ]. Soluble polymeric semiconducting materials allow one to physically mix p-type and n-type polymers to form donor/acceptor ( D/A ) interfaces throughout the bulk of the blend.…”

Experimental and theoretical studies of linear and non-linear optical properties of novel fused-triazine derivatives for advanced technological applications

“…The development of novel organic luminophores has been extensively investigated due to their wide-ranging applications in domains such as bioimaging, optical storage, and optoelectronics 1 – 4 . Additional uses of these photochemical organic materials include organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) 5 , phosphorescent probes 6 , and dye-enhanced solar cells 7 .…”

A Chain‐Growth Mechanism for Conjugated Polymer Synthesis Facilitated by Dinuclear Complexes with Redox‐Active Ligands

“…[5] Moreover, the most efficient conjugated polymer syntheses practiced in industry rely on Stille crosscoupling, which, in addition to its step-growth mechanism, generates stoichiometric toxic tin by-products. [6][7][8] Beginning in 2004, several cross-coupling polycondensations were demonstrated to follow chain-growth mechanisms: specifi-cally, controlled catalyst transfer polymerizations (CTP) based on Kumada and Suzuki cross-coupling, catalyzed by Ni and Pd complexes. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] With one exception, [12] these systems are characterized by narrow monomer scope, with a particular challenge presented by electron-deficient aromatics.…”

“…Transition metal (TM)‐catalyzed polycondensations addressed this limitation because of their modularity; however, most polycondensations are step‐growth methods that inherently lack desired control over the polymers’ molecular weight (MW), dispersity ( Đ ), regioregularity, and architecture [5] . Moreover, the most efficient conjugated polymer syntheses practiced in industry rely on Stille cross‐coupling, which, in addition to its step‐growth mechanism, generates stoichiometric toxic tin by‐products [6–8] . Beginning in 2004, several cross‐coupling polycondensations were demonstrated to follow chain‐growth mechanisms: specifically, controlled catalyst transfer polymerizations (CTP) based on Kumada and Suzuki cross‐coupling, catalyzed by Ni and Pd complexes [9–17] .…”