Designing ternary blend bulk heterojunction solar cells with reduced carrier recombination and a fill factor of 77%

Gasparini N, Jiao X, Heumüller T, Baran D, Matt G, Fladischer S, Spiecker E, Ade H, Brabec C, Ameri T (2016)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2016

Journal

Nature Energy Nature Publishing Group

Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

Book Volume: 1

DOI: 10.1038/NENERGY.2016.118

Abstract

In recent years the concept of ternary blend bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells based on organic semiconductors has been widely used to achieve a better match to the solar irradiance spectrum, and power conversion effciencies beyond 10% have been reported. However, the fill factor of organic solar cells is still limited by the competition between recombination and extraction of free charges. Here, we design advanced material composites leading to a high fill factor of 77% in ternary blends, thus demonstrating how the recombination thresholds can be overcome. Extending beyond the typical sensitization concept, we add a highly ordered polymer that, in addition to enhanced absorption, overcomes limits predicted by classical recombination models. An effective charge transfer from the disordered host system onto the highly ordered sensitizer effectively avoids traps of the host matrix and features an almost ideal recombination behaviour.

Authors with CRIS profile

Nicola Gasparini Institute Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET) Thomas Heumüller Institute Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET) Gebhard Matt Institute Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET) Stefanie Rechberger Institute Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET) Erdmann Spiecker Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung) Christoph Brabec Institute Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET) Tayebeh Ameri Institute Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET)

Additional Organisation(s)

Exzellenz-Cluster Engineering of Advanced Materials Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung) Interdisziplinäres Zentrum, Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM)

Involved external institutions

North Carolina State University US United States (USA) (US) Imperial College London / The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine GB United Kingdom (GB)

How to cite

APA:

Gasparini, N., Jiao, X., Heumüller, T., Baran, D., Matt, G., Fladischer, S.,... Ameri, T. (2016). Designing ternary blend bulk heterojunction solar cells with reduced carrier recombination and a fill factor of 77%. Nature Energy, 1. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/NENERGY.2016.118

MLA:

Gasparini, Nicola, et al. "Designing ternary blend bulk heterojunction solar cells with reduced carrier recombination and a fill factor of 77%." Nature Energy 1 (2016).

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