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Performance analysis of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded into the P3HT:PC61BM active layer using the FDTD method

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Abstract

The increase in optical absorption in organic solar cells based on poly (3-hexylthiophene): phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PC61BM), is examined in this study utilizing the finite difference time domain method and Lumerical software to evaluate field distribution and light absorption in the active layer in terms of wavelength. The plasmonic impact on the metal surface, as well as the positioning of plasmonic crystals in different areas, as revealed by finding a favorable site for a plasmonic crystal and refining the structure, results in a significant increase in absorption in the optical region. The impact of active layer thickness, the distance between neighboring nanoparticles, and plasmon crystal on the active layer of the polymer solar cell were examined. The proposed triangular, wire, rectangle, and multi-period triangular Ag nanoparticles optical model can explain the optical absorption increase via localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) modes and get a better knowledge of the shape characteristics of Ag nanoparticles, which are crucial in determining the broadband absorption phenomena in plasmonic organic solar cells. When the plasmonic solar cell's power conversion efficiency was compared to that of solar cells without Ag nanoparticles, a significant increase was seen. The strong alternating electromagnetic field around the different plasmonic nanoparticles resulting from the LSPR suggested by the Ag plasmonic nanocrystals increased the intrinsic optical absorption in the active layer P3HT:PC61BM. The short-circuit current varied from 7.3 to 26.9 mA/cm2 based on the photovoltaic characteristics.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the Persian Gulf University Research Council for continuous support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, 7516913817, Iran

    Leila Shabani, Ahmad Mohammadi & Tahmineh Jalali

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  1. Leila Shabani
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  2. Ahmad Mohammadi
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  3. Tahmineh Jalali
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Contributions

A. Mohammadi designed and directed the project and, with L. Shabani, contributed to the design and implementation of the research, and A. Mohammadi, L. Shabani, T. Jalali contributed to the analysis of the results and to the writing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ahmad Mohammadi.

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Shabani, L., Mohammadi, A. & Jalali, T. Performance analysis of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells with plasmonic nanoparticles embedded into the P3HT:PC61BM active layer using the FDTD method. Polym. Bull. 80, 9589–9610 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-022-04521-7

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