Enhancing Organic Solar Cells with Plasmonic Nanomaterials

Plasmonic nanomaterials may offer promising routes to address the intrinsic performance limitations of conventional organic solar cells. Specifically, plasmonic materials have been widely exploited for the effective promotion of photon absorption in the organic active layers. For the further progress of plasmonic enhancement of organic solar cells, hybrid nanostructures integrating more than two different components are highly necessary for tailoring the outstanding optical and other relevant properties. In this Focus Review article, we highlight recent research on the synergistic benefits from plasmonic hybrid nanostructures, such as multimetal nanoparticles, clustered metal nanoparticles, and carbon-metal nanohybrids for desirable charge generation and charge transport/collection in organic solar cells.