Scaling-Up of Solution-Processable Tungsten Trioxide (WO<sub>3</sub>) Nanoparticles as a Hole Transport Layer in Inverted Organic Photovoltaics
Atiq Ur Rahman,
Aliah El Astal-Quirós,
Gianpaolo Susanna,
Hamed Javanbakht,
Emanuele Calabrò,
Giuseppina Polino,
Barbara Paci,
Amanda Generosi,
Flavia Righi Riva,
Francesca Brunetti,
Andrea Reale
Affiliations
Atiq Ur Rahman
CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Aliah El Astal-Quirós
CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Gianpaolo Susanna
CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Hamed Javanbakht
CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Emanuele Calabrò
CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Giuseppina Polino
CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Barbara Paci
SpecX-Lab, Istituto di Struttura della Materia C.N.R, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
Amanda Generosi
SpecX-Lab, Istituto di Struttura della Materia C.N.R, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
Flavia Righi Riva
SpecX-Lab, Istituto di Struttura della Materia C.N.R, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
Francesca Brunetti
CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Andrea Reale
CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
We reported the comparative studies of the optimization of solution-processable tungsten trioxide (WO3) as a hole transporting layer (HTL) in inverted organic photovoltaics (OPVs) using spin coating, slot-die coating, and spray coating technologies for scaling-up applications. To facilitate the technology’s transition into commercial manufacturing, it is necessary to explore the role of scalable technologies for low-cost and efficient device fabrication. We investigated the role of diluting WO3 with isopropanol as an HTL in inverted OPVs to solve the issue of poor wettability of the hydrophobic surface of the PBDB-T: ITIC bulk heterojunction layer. The optimal dilution ratios of WO3 with isopropanol were 1:4, 1:4 and 1:8 with spin coating, slot-die coating and spray coating techniques, respectively. We evaluated the device performance by conducting a current density–voltage (J-V) analysis, incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements, and ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) absorbance spectra for various WO3 concentrations. The J-V characteristics revealed that slot-die coating resulted in the highest performance, followed by the spray coating technology. We further investigated the impact of the annealing temperature on device performance for both slot-die- and spray-coated diluted WO3. The highest device performance was achieved at an annealing temperature of 120 °C for both coating technologies. This research offers valuable insights into the scalable fabrication of inverted OPV devices, paving the way for cost-effective and efficient large-scale production.
