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Effects of interlayer properties on the performance of tandem organic solar cells with low and high band gap polymers

  • Energy Conversion and Storage Materials
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Abstract

Tandem organic solar cells with two stacked cells were fabricated using semiconducting polymers and fullerene derivatives. A thin intermediate multilayer of calcium, silver, and molybdenum oxide connects the front and the back cells. Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) films of the low band gap (BG) polymer, poly[N-9″-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT), and [6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) are used for the front cell. As for the back cell of the tandem structure, the same PCDTBT:PC71BM BHJ (T1) or the high BG polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) blended with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) BHJ (T2) are used. The critical role of interlayer properties on the photovoltaic performance of devices are investigated. The observed open-circuit potential for the tandem cell approaches the sum of the potentials of the two respective subcells, demonstrating the potential for increasing the voltage of the solar cell using the tandem structure even with same or lower band gap polymer in the front.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Canada Foundation for Innovation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Flexible Electronics and Energy Lab (FEEL), Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Zenan Jiang, Bobak Gholamkhass & Peyman Servati

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  1. Zenan Jiang
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Correspondence to Zenan Jiang.

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Jiang, Z., Gholamkhass, B. & Servati, P. Effects of interlayer properties on the performance of tandem organic solar cells with low and high band gap polymers. Journal of Materials Research 34, 2407–2415 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2019.168

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2019.168

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