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Efficiency and Stability Improvement of Organic Solar Cells Based on PTB7: PCBM Through Hot-Substrate Coating

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Abstract

Despite the relatively high efficiency of the organic solar cells (OSCs), their stability issues have not yet been fully resolved. Various approaches have been reported in the literature to improve the overall performance and stability of OSCs. In this work, the approach of hot-substrate coating was carried out to enhance the performance and stability of OSCs based on the PTB7:PC71BM active layer. The approach involves maintaining the substrate temperature at 150°C, while depositing the active layers with a spin coater. The results demonstrate that OSCs fabricated via hot-substrate coating achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.94%, whereas devices with active layers deposited at room temperature (RT) achieved an average efficiency of 5.6%. According to the stability study of the devices, it was observed that the hot-substrate coated devices maintained 94% of their initial PCE after 72 h of operation. This is where the RT-coated devices retained 53% of their efficiency. In conclusion, the proposed approach can be applied to improve the efficiency and stability of organic solar cells.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Low Dimensional Materials Research Centre (LDMRC), Universiti Malaya and Micro-Nano System Engineering Lab, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Nanotechnology Research Centre, Sultan Qaboos University for facilitating the instruments while carrying out the experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

    Naser Al-Shekaili & Suhairul Hashim

  2. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Health, Koya University, Koya, KOY45, Kurdistan Region-F.R., Iraq

    Fahmi F. Muhammadsharif

  3. Department of Medical Physics, College of Medicals and Applied Science, Charmo University, Chamchamal, 46023, Kurdistan Region-F.R., Iraq

    Fahmi F. Muhammadsharif

  4. Low Dimensional Materials Research Centre, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Khaulah Sulaiman

  5. Nanotechnology Research Centre, Sultan Qaboos University, SQU, Al Khoudh, PO Box 17, PC 123, Muscat, Oman

    M. Z. Al-Abri

  6. Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, SQU, Al Khoudh, PO Box 33, PC 123, Muscat, Oman

    M. Z. Al-Abri

Authors
  1. Naser Al-Shekaili
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  2. Suhairul Hashim
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  3. Fahmi F. Muhammadsharif
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  5. M. Z. Al-Abri
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Correspondence to Fahmi F. Muhammadsharif.

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Al-Shekaili, N., Hashim, S., Muhammadsharif, F.F. et al. Efficiency and Stability Improvement of Organic Solar Cells Based on PTB7: PCBM Through Hot-Substrate Coating. J. Electron. Mater. 50, 6828–6835 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-021-09238-3

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