The impact of TiO2nanostructures on the physical properties and electrical performance of organic solar cells based on PTB7:PC71BM bulk heterojunctions

Naser Al-Shekaili, Suhairul Hashim, Fahmi F. Muhammadsharif*, M. Z. Al-Abri, Khaulah Sulaiman, Mohd Y. Yahya, Mohd Ridzuan Ahmed

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Hybrid organic solar cells based on pairs of donor and acceptor materials offer enhanced light absorption width and surface morphology. In order to investigate the role of introducing metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and thermal annealing on the optical, structural and morphological behaviours of the active layer polymers' [poly([4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl]{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}):[6,6]-Phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PTB7:PC71BM), thin films with and without the addition of 10% TiO2nanoparticles (NP) were prepared and characterized. Ultraviolet-Visible- Near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) Spectrophotometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to characterize the thin films. Results show that incorporation of the TiO2(NPs) with annealing treatment of the thin films enhanced the optical absorption and crystallinity of the PTB7:PC71BM blend. The device based on PTB7:PC71BM showed power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.6%. The incorporation of 10%-TiO2into the PTB7:PC71BM blend leads to a sharp drop in PCE (0.08%).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1921-1927
Number of pages7
JournalMaterials Today: Proceedings
Volume42
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Event3rd International Conference on Materials Engineering and Science, IConMEAS 2020 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Duration: Dec 28 2020Dec 30 2020

Keywords

  • Hybrid solar cells
  • J-V characteristic
  • Organic solar cells (OSCs)
  • PTB7:PCBM:TiO
  • Surface morphology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science

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