Abstract
A highly efficient light-scattering layer, composed of quasi-periodic discrete silica nanoparticles directly deposited onto polymer substrates to produce bendable organic solar cells (OSCs) with enhanced light absorption, is reported. A silica nanoparticle layer (SNL) underwent self-assembly on a highly flexible and heat-sensitive polymer at room temperature during fabrication, which employed a unique plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition technique. Such efficient light-scattering SNLs have not been realizable by conventional solution-based coating techniques. SNLs were optimized by precisely controlling dimensional parameters, specifically, the nanoparticle layer thickness and interparticle distance. The optimized SNL exhibited an improved transmission haze of 16.8% in the spectral range of 350-700 nm, where reduction of the total transmission was suppressed to 2%. Coating light-scattering SNLs onto polymer substrates is a promising method for improving the light harvesting abilities of OSCs by enhancing the light absorption of photoactive polymer layers. This SNL-based flexible OSC exhibited a record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.4%, representing a 13% improvement, while reducing the thickness of the photoactive polymer layer by 30%.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 932-940 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Energy and Environmental Science |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 Mar 1 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Chemistry
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Nuclear Energy and Engineering
- Pollution