This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supporting Information Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Related articles in PNAS Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Google Scholar Articles by Irwin, M. D. Articles by Marks, T. J. PubMed Articles by Irwin, M. D. Articles by Marks, T. J. Social Bookmarking                What's this?

 Previous Article  | Table of Contents |  Next Article 

PHYSICAL SCIENCES / CHEMISTRY
p-Type semiconducting nickel oxide as an efficiency-enhancing anode interfacial layer in polymer bulk-heterojunction solar cells

Michael D. Irwin, D. Bruce Buchholz, Alexander W. Hains, Robert P. H. Chang^*, and Tobin J. Marks^*

Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Materials Research Center, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208

Contributed by Tobin J. Marks, December 21, 2007 (received for review September 12, 2007)

To minimize interfacial power losses, thin (5–80 nm) layers of NiO, a p-type oxide semiconductor, are inserted between the active organic layer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) + [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), and the ITO (tin-doped indium oxide) anode of bulk-heterojunction ITO/P3HT:PCBM/LiF/Al solar cells. The interfacial NiO layer is deposited by pulsed laser deposition directly onto cleaned ITO, and the active layer is subsequently deposited by spin-coating. Insertion of the NiO layer affords cell power conversion efficiencies as high as 5.2% and enhances the fill factor to 69% and the open-circuit voltage (V_oc) to 638 mV versus an ITO/P3HT:PCBM/LiF/Al control device. The value of such hole-transporting/electron-blocking interfacial layers is clearly demonstrated and should be applicable to other organic photovoltaics.

interface | photovoltaic | solar energy

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0711990105/DC1.

*To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: r-chang{at}northwestern.edu or t-marks{at}northwestern.edu

© 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    What's this?

Related articles in PNAS:

In This Issue

PNAS 2008 105: 2753-2754. [Full Text]