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

Title: Amorphous oxide alloys as interfacial layers with broadly tunable electronic structures for organic photovoltaic cells

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [4];  [1]
  1. Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)
  2. Chiba Univ., Chiba (Japan)
  3. Polyera Corp., Skokie, IL (United States)
  4. Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); Polyera Corp., Skokie, IL (United States)

In diverse classes of organic optoelectronic devices, controlling charge injection, extraction, and blocking across organic semiconductor– inorganic electrode interfaces is crucial for enhancing quantum efficiency and output voltage. To this end, the strategy of inserting engineered interfacial layers (IFLs) between electrical contacts and organic semiconductors has significantly advanced organic light-emitting diode and organic thin film transistor performance. For organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices, an electronically flexible IFL design strategy to incrementally tune energy level matching between the inorganic electrode system and the organic photoactive components without varying the surface chemistry would permit OPV cells to adapt to ever-changing generations of photoactive materials. Here we report the implementation of chemically/environmentally robust, low-temperature solution-processed amorphous transparent semiconducting oxide alloys, In-Ga-O and Ga-Zn-Sn-O, as IFLs for inverted OPVs. Lastly, continuous variation of the IFL compositions tunes the conduction band minima over a broad range, affording optimized OPV power conversion efficiencies for multiple classes of organic active layer materials and establishing clear correlations between IFL/photoactive layer energetics and device performance.

Research Organization:
Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center (ANSER)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0001059; FG02-08ER46536; 26288007; DMR-1121262; CHE-0923236
OSTI ID:
1348923
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 112, Issue 26; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 41 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (64)

Small-Molecule, Nonfullerene Acceptors for Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Organic Photovoltaics journal February 2011
Polymer solar cells journal February 2012
Powering the planet: Chemical challenges in solar energy utilization journal October 2006
Stretchable, elastic materials and devices for solar energy conversion journal January 2011
Hybrid Silicon Nanocone–Polymer Solar Cells journal May 2012
Interface engineering of highly efficient perovskite solar cells journal July 2014
Perovskites: The Emergence of a New Era for Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Solar Cells journal October 2013
Improved performance and stability in quantum dot solar cells through band alignment engineering journal May 2014
19·9%-efficient ZnO/CdS/CuInGaSe 2 solar cell with 81·2% fill factor
  • Repins, Ingrid; Contreras, Miguel A.; Egaas, Brian
  • Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 16, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.822
journal May 2008
Interface investigation and engineering – achieving high performance polymer photovoltaic devices journal January 2010
Enhanced power-conversion efficiency in polymer solar cells using an inverted device structure journal August 2012
The Importance of Fullerene Percolation in the Mixed Regions of Polymer-Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells journal October 2012
Polymer Photovoltaic Cells: Enhanced Efficiencies via a Network of Internal Donor-Acceptor Heterojunctions journal December 1995
Interface materials for organic solar cells journal January 2010
A Universal Method to Produce Low-Work Function Electrodes for Organic Electronics journal April 2012
Interface Engineering for Organic Electronics journal April 2010
ITO Interface Modifiers Can Improve V OC in Polymer Solar Cells and Suppress Surface Recombination journal November 2013
High-efficiency inverted dithienogermole–thienopyrrolodione-based polymer solar cells journal December 2011
A polymer tandem solar cell with 10.6% power conversion efficiency journal February 2013
Inverted Polymer Solar Cells Integrated with a Low-Temperature-Annealed Sol-Gel-Derived ZnO Film as an Electron Transport Layer journal February 2011
Comparative study of the influence of LiF, NaF, and KF on the performance of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells journal April 2007
Efficient Tandem Polymer Solar Cells Fabricated by All-Solution Processing journal July 2007
Highly Efficient and Stable Inverted Polymer Solar Cells Integrated with a Cross-Linked Fullerene Material as an Interlayer journal April 2010
Development of Efficient and Stable Inverted Bulk Heterojunction (BHJ) Solar Cells Using Different Metal Oxide Interfaces journal December 2013
Steric Control of the Donor/Acceptor Interface: Implications in Organic Photovoltaic Charge Generation journal August 2011
Polymer Blend Solar Cells Based on a High-Mobility Naphthalenediimide-Based Polymer Acceptor: Device Physics, Photophysics and Morphology journal February 2011
Morphology-Performance Relationships in High-Efficiency All-Polymer Solar Cells journal October 2013
Integrated Molecular, Interfacial, and Device Engineering towards High-Performance Non-Fullerene Based Organic Solar Cells journal June 2014
Highly efficient charge-carrier generation and collection in polymer/polymer blend solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 5.7% journal January 2014
Energy Level Alignment and Interfacial Electronic Structures at Organic/Metal and Organic/Organic Interfaces journal June 1999
Near-ultraviolet inverse photoemission spectroscopy using ultra-low energy electrons journal June 2012
Measuring the electron affinity of organic solids: an indispensable new tool for organic electronics journal February 2014
For the Bright Future-Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells with Power Conversion Efficiency of 7.4% journal May 2010
Indene−C60 Bisadduct: A New Acceptor for High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells journal February 2010
A high-mobility electron-transporting polymer for printed transistors journal January 2009
Conduction-Band Structures of Wurtzite ZnO Solid Solutions by First Principles Calculations journal January 2009
First-principles calculation of band offsets, optical bowings, and defects in CdS, CdSe, CdTe, and their alloys journal February 2000
Multicomponent semiconductor solid solutions and their laser applications (review) journal July 1976
Band-Offset Engineering for Enhanced Open-Circuit Voltage in Polymer–Oxide Hybrid Solar Cells journal January 2007
Structural, optical, and spin properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon‐germanium alloys journal July 1989
Material characteristics and applications of transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors journal January 2010
Amorphous transparent conductors for PV applications conference June 2010
Origin of electronic and optical trends in ternary In 2 O 3 ( ZnO ) n transparent conducting oxides ( n = 1 , 3 , 5 ) : Hybrid density functional theory calculations journal February 2009
Improved Performance and Stability of Inverted Organic Solar Cells with Sol-Gel Processed, Amorphous Mixed Metal Oxide Electron Extraction Layers Comprising Alkaline Earth Metals journal June 2013
Surface composition, work function, and electrochemical characteristics of gallium-doped zinc oxide journal June 2012
Low-temperature fabrication of high-performance metal oxide thin-film electronics via combustion processing journal April 2011
Crystalline In–Ga–Zn–O Density of States and Energy Band Structure Calculation Using Density Function Theory journal September 2011
Ultraflexible Polymer Solar Cells Using Amorphous Zinc−Indium−Tin Oxide Transparent Electrodes journal October 2013
Factors controlling electron transport properties in transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors journal May 2008
Relation between carrier mobility and cell performance in bulk heterojunction solar cells consisting of soluble polythiophene and fullerene derivatives journal September 2005
Band bending and surface defects in β -Ga 2 O 3 journal April 2012
Structural and Electrical Functionality of NiO Interfacial Films in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells journal April 2011
Overcoming interface losses in organic solar cells by applying low temperature, solution processed aluminum-doped zinc oxide electron extraction layers journal January 2013
Investigating the Influence of Interfacial Contact Properties on Open Circuit Voltages in Organic Photovoltaic Performance: Work Function Versus Selectivity journal February 2013
Low-Energy Inverse Photoemission Study on the Electron Affinities of Fullerene Derivatives for Organic Photovoltaic Cells journal October 2014
Interface energetics in organo-metal halide perovskite-based photovoltaic cells journal January 2014
Band-offset engineering in organic/inorganic semiconductor hybrid structures journal January 2010
Energy-Level Alignment at Organic/Metal and Organic/Organic Interfaces journal April 2009
Series resistance in organic bulk-heterojunction solar devices: Modulating carrier transport with fullerene electron traps journal November 2012
Chemically Controlled Reversible and Irreversible Extraction Barriers Via Stable Interface Modification of Zinc Oxide Electron Collection Layer in Polycarbazole-based Organic Solar Cells journal April 2014
Toward the Ideal Organic Light-Emitting Diode. The Versatility and Utility of Interfacial Tailoring by Cross-Linked Siloxane Interlayers journal August 2005
Design Rules for Donors in Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells—Towards 10 % Energy-Conversion Efficiency journal March 2006
Organic solar cells: A new look at traditional models journal January 2011
Understanding Energy-Level Alignment in Donor–Acceptor/Metal Interfaces from Core-Level Shifts journal July 2013

Cited By (12)

Elucidating the Detectivity Limits in Shortwave Infrared Organic Photodiodes journal March 2018
Benzodithiophene Hole‐Transporting Materials for Efficient Tin‐Based Perovskite Solar Cells journal September 2019
Organic Planar Heterojunctions: From Models for Interfaces in Bulk Heterojunctions to High-Performance Solar Cells journal November 2016
Cocrystal Engineering: A Collaborative Strategy toward Functional Materials journal July 2019
11% Organic Photovoltaic Devices Based on PTB7-Th: PC 71 BM Photoactive Layers and Irradiation-Assisted ZnO Electron Transport Layers journal May 2018
Modifying electronic properties of ICBA through chemical substitutions for solar cell applications journal February 2017
Low temperature aqueous solution-processed Li doped ZnO buffer layers for high performance inverted organic solar cells journal January 2016
Deconstructing the behavior of donor–acceptor copolymers in solution & the melt: the case of PTB7 journal January 2019
An efficient binary cathode interlayer for large-bandgap non-fullerene organic solar cells journal January 2019
Unique chemistries of metal-nitrate precursors to form metal-oxide thin films from solution: materials for electronic and energy applications journal January 2019
Oxygen deficiency and Sn doping of amorphous Ga 2 O 3 journal January 2016
Transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors for organic electronics: Application to inverted OLEDs journal December 2016