Title :
Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Blends of CdSe Nanorods and Poly(3-alkylthiophene) Nanofibers
Author :
Jiu, Tonggang ; Reiss, Peter ; Guillerez, Stéphane ; Bettignies, R.D. ; Bailly, éverine ; Chandezon, Frédéric
Author_Institution :
Lab. d´´Electron. Moleculaire , Organique et Hybride, Commissariat a l´´Energie Atomique-Grenoble, Grenoble, France
Abstract :
The influence of the polymer self-organization in poly(3-alkylthiophene):CdSe nanorod (NR) hybrid solar cells is investigated. The solvent used for the spin casting of the hybrid thin films has a strong influence on the device characteristics. Using solar cells of 28-mm active surface, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) was below 0.2% for blends deposited from chloroform, while values of 1.4%-1.6% have been achieved with chlorobenzene (CB) and o -dichlorobenzene (ODCB) under air mass (AM) 1.5 conditions (100 mW/cm). The slower film growth in the case of the higher boiling point solvents (CB and ODCB) allows the better self-organization of the polymer phase, improving the charge carrier mobility. Subsequently, we report for the first time the use of preformed poly(3-alkylthiophene) nanofibers (NFs) in hybrid solar cells with CdSe NRs, yielding a PCE of 1%. NFs prepared from poly(3-butylthiophene) resulted in a better device performance than those from poly(3-hexylthiophene). The obtained solar cells exhibit an interpenetrated 3-D network of interconnected NFs and small CdSe NR aggregates, providing efficient pathways for electron and hole transport in the hybrid film.
Keywords :
II-VI semiconductors; aggregates (materials); cadmium compounds; carrier mobility; casting; nanofibres; nanorods; polymers; solar cells; thin films; wide band gap semiconductors; CdSe; aggregates; charge carrier mobility; chloroform; electron transport; hole transport; hybrid solar cells; hybrid thin films; interpenetrated 3D network; nanofibers; nanorods; o-dichlorobenzene; poly(3-alkylthiophene); polymer self-organization; spin casting; Annealing; Casting; Electromagnetic wave absorption; Electrons; Morphology; Photovoltaic cells; Polymer films; Solvents; Substrates; Temperature; Conjugated polymers; photovoltaic cells; quantum dots; self-organizing control;
Journal_Title :
Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JSTQE.2010.2044557