Improved efficiency of organic solar cells using Au NPs incorporated into PEDOT:PSS buffer layer

Francis Otieno; Ndivhuwo P. Shumbula; Mildred Airo; Mlambo Mbuso; Nosipho Moloto; Rudolph M. Erasmus; Alexander Quandt; Daniel Wamwangi

doi:10.1063/1.4995803

AIP Advances (Aug 2017)

Improved efficiency of organic solar cells using Au NPs incorporated into PEDOT:PSS buffer layer

Francis Otieno,
Ndivhuwo P. Shumbula,
Mildred Airo,
Mlambo Mbuso,
Nosipho Moloto,
Rudolph M. Erasmus,
Alexander Quandt,
Daniel Wamwangi

Affiliations

Francis Otieno: Material Physics Research Institute, School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
Ndivhuwo P. Shumbula: School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Republic of South Africa
Mildred Airo: School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Republic of South Africa
Mlambo Mbuso: Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Nosipho Moloto: School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Republic of South Africa
Rudolph M. Erasmus: Material Physics Research Institute, School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
Alexander Quandt: Material Physics Research Institute, School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
Daniel Wamwangi: Material Physics Research Institute, School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4995803
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 8
pp. 085302 – 085302-10

Abstract

Read online

Au based plasmonic phenomenon inside the hole transport layer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) of an organic solar cell based on blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6:6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid (PCBM) is investigated. The concentration of the Au nanoparticles synthesized by wet chemical reduction is one of the key factors to strong light trapping when the spherical gold nanoparticles are blended into the PEDOT:PSS solution. Studies of the influence of the concentration of nanoparticles distribution in the PEDOT:PSS were carried out using UV–Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Electrical characteristics of the pristine device and of device with metallic nanostructures were analyzed from J –V characteristics to observe the plasmonic effects on the performance in the P3HT:PCBM organic solar cells. The origin of the photocurrent enhancements with varying Au nanoparticles concentrations on PEDOT:PSS are discussed.

Published in AIP Advances

ISSN: 2158-3226 (Online)
Publisher: AIP Publishing LLC
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science: Physics
Website: http://aipadvances.aip.org/

About the journal