Disorder-Induced Open-Circuit Voltage Losses in Organic Solar Cells during Photoinduced Burn-In

Heumueller T, Burke TM, Mateker WR, Sachs-Quintana IT, Vandewal K, Brabec C, Mcgehee MD (2015)

Publication Language: English

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2015

Journal

Advanced Energy Materials Wiley

Book Volume: 5

Article Number: 1500111

Journal Issue: 14

DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201500111

Abstract

The photoinduced open-circuit voltage (Voc) loss commonly observed in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells made from amorphous polymers is investigated. It is observed that the total charge carrier density and, importantly, the recombination dynamics are unchanged by photoinduced burn-in. Charge extraction is used to monitor changes in the density of states (DOS) during degradation of the solar cells, and a broadening over time is observed. It is proposed that the Voc losses observed during burn-in are caused by a redistribution of charge carriers in a broader DOS. The temperature and light intensity dependence of the Voc losses can be described with an analytical model that contains the amount of disorder broadening in a Gaussian DOS as the only fit parameter. Finally, the Voc loss in solar cells made from amorphous and crystalline polymers is compared and an increased stability observed in crystalline polymer solar cells is investigated. It is found that solar cells made from crystalline materials have a considerably higher charge carrier density than those with amorphous materials. The effects of a DOS broadening upon aging are suppressed in solar cells with crystalline materials due to their higher carrier density, making crystalline materials more stable against Voc losses during burn-in.

Authors with CRIS profile

Christoph Brabec Institute Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET)

Additional Organisation(s)

Exzellenz-Cluster Engineering of Advanced Materials

Involved external institutions

Stanford University US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Heumueller, T., Burke, T.M., Mateker, W.R., Sachs-Quintana, I.T., Vandewal, K., Brabec, C., & Mcgehee, M.D. (2015). Disorder-Induced Open-Circuit Voltage Losses in Organic Solar Cells during Photoinduced Burn-In. Advanced Energy Materials, 5(14). https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201500111

MLA:

Heumueller, Thomas, et al. "Disorder-Induced Open-Circuit Voltage Losses in Organic Solar Cells during Photoinduced Burn-In." Advanced Energy Materials 5.14 (2015).

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