skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Electrical edge effect induced photocurrent overestimation in low-light organic photovoltaics

Journal Article · · Joule
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [2];  [1]
  1. Xi'an Jiaotong Univ., Shaanxi (China)
  2. Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
  3. Donghua University, Shanghai (China)

In many literatures, the short-circuit current (JSC) of indoor organic photovoltaics is overestimated, leading to severely wrong device performance evaluation and analysis. In this work, based on the equivalent circuit model, we demonstrate that electrical edge effect is sensitive to both transverse surface resistance and light intensity. At low light intensity, the electrical edge effect could lead to JSC being significantly overestimated, i.e., by 100% and even more. We show that for a PM6:Y6 device capped with a MoOX layer, when measured under 0.01 sun, the usually overlooked interface doping mechanism would lead to JSC and PCE overestimation by 51% and 15%, respectively. Besides, we show that the magnitude of JSC overestimation drastically increases with high photoactive-layer surface roughness. This work emphasized the significant electrical edge effect on JSC evaluations for low-light solar cells and is conducive to understanding the intrinsic mechanism of edge effect, promoting a healthier development of organic photovoltaics.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Advanced Light Source (ALS)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; 21704082; 21875182; 22109125; 2017M623162; DMR-1905790
OSTI ID:
1981688
Journal Information:
Joule, Vol. 6, Issue 8; ISSN 2542-4351
Publisher:
Elsevier - Cell PressCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (47)

Erroneous efficiency reports harm organic solar cell research journal September 2014
Precise Characterization of Performance Metrics of Organic Solar Cells journal July 2017
All‐Rounder Low‐Cost Dopant‐Free D‐A‐D Hole‐Transporting Materials for Efficient Indoor and Outdoor Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells journal January 2020
Improving organic photovoltaic cells by forcing electrode work function well beyond onset of Ohmic transition journal April 2021
Non-fullerene acceptors with branched side chains and improved molecular packing to exceed 18% efficiency in organic solar cells journal May 2021
A Conclusive View on Charge Generation, Recombination, and Extraction in As-Prepared and Annealed P3HT:PCBM Blends: Combined Experimental and Simulation Work journal January 2014
Evidence for Field-Dependent Charge Separation Caused by Mixed Phases in Polymer–Fullerene Organic Solar Cells journal February 2021
Alkoxybenzothiadiazole-Based Fullerene and Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells with High Shunt Resistance for Indoor Photovoltaic Applications journal January 2018
Achieving over 16% efficiency for single-junction organic solar cells journal March 2019
An underestimated photoactive area in organic solar cells based on a ZnO interlayer journal January 2021
Low-Bandgap Small Molecules as Non-Fullerene Electron Acceptors Composed of Benzothiadiazole and Diketopyrrolopyrrole for All Organic Solar Cells journal August 2015
Ohmic transition at contacts key to maximizing fill factor and performance of organic solar cells journal August 2018
Practical efficiency limits in organic photovoltaic cells: Functional dependence of fill factor and external quantum efficiency journal October 2009
High-Efficiency Bifacial Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells for Application under Indoor Light Conditions journal October 2019
Nongeminate and Geminate Recombination in PTB7:PCBM Solar Cells journal September 2013
High Efficiency Polymer Solar Cells with Efficient Hole Transfer at Zero Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital Offset between Methylated Polymer Donor and Brominated Acceptor journal January 2020
Fluorinated Copolymer PCPDTBT with Enhanced Open-Circuit Voltage and Reduced Recombination for Highly Efficient Polymer Solar Cells journal August 2012
18% Efficiency organic solar cells journal February 2020
Highly Efficient Ternary‐Blend Polymer Solar Cells Enabled by a Nonfullerene Acceptor and Two Polymer Donors with a Broad Composition Tolerance journal October 2017
Highly Efficient Fullerene-Free Polymer Solar Cells Fabricated with Polythiophene Derivative journal September 2016
Transition Metal Oxide Work Functions: The Influence of Cation Oxidation State and Oxygen Vacancies journal June 2012
Comparing and Quantifying Indoor Performance of Organic Solar Cells journal July 2021
Reduced non-radiative charge recombination enables organic photovoltaic cell approaching 19% efficiency journal September 2021
Material Strategies to Accelerate OPV Technology Toward a GW Technology journal October 2020
Design and Synthesis of a Low Bandgap Small Molecule Acceptor for Efficient Polymer Solar Cells journal July 2016
Comparison of conventional and inverted organic photovoltaic devices with controlled illumination area and extraction layers journal January 2016
Different Morphology Dependence for Efficient Indoor Organic Photovoltaics: The Role of the Leakage Current and Recombination Losses journal September 2021
Modeling the edge effect for measuring the performance of mesoscopic solar cells with shading masks journal January 2019
Multivalent anions as universal latent electron donors journal September 2019
18.5% Efficiency Organic Solar Cells with a Hybrid Planar/Bulk Heterojunction journal September 2021
Characterization of Organic Solar Cells: the Importance of Device Layout journal December 2007
Photovoltaic characterization of dye-sensitized solar cells: effect of device masking on conversion efficiency journal January 2006
Accurate characterization of OPVs: Device masking and different solar simulators journal March 2013
High-Efficiency Indoor Organic Photovoltaics with a Band-Aligned Interlayer journal July 2020
Increased charge transfer state separation via reduced mixed phase interface in polymer solar cells journal January 2019
Energy level evolution of air and oxygen exposed molybdenum trioxide films journal June 2010
Accurate photovoltaic measurement of organic cells for indoor applications journal May 2021
Indoor Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Efficiencies Surpassing 26% Using Polymeric Counter Electrodes journal February 2022
Effects of Masking on Open-Circuit Voltage and Fill Factor in Solar Cells journal January 2019
Role ofδ-Hole-Doped Interfaces at Ohmic Contacts to Organic Semiconductors journal July 2009
Universal strategy for Ohmic hole injection into organic semiconductors with high ionization energies journal February 2018
The Active Layer Morphology of Organic Solar Cells Probed with Grazing Incidence Scattering Techniques journal February 2014
A universal approach to improve electron mobility without significant enlarging phase separation in IDT-based non-fullerene acceptor organic solar cells journal November 2017
Organic Photovoltaic Cells for Indoor Applications: Opportunities and Challenges journal August 2020
Effect of Temperature and Illumination on the Electrical Characteristics of Polymer–Fullerene Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells journal January 2004
A highly crystalline non-fullerene acceptor enabling efficient indoor organic photovoltaics with high EQE and fill factor journal May 2021
How should you measure your excitonic solar cells? journal January 2012