Zinc oxide nanodiffusers to enhance p3ht:pcbm organic solar cells performance

This work proposes a new approach on exploring Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanodiffusers to improve organic solar cell (OSC) performance. ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed on the OSC top surface can reduce the device reflection and enhance the absorption of solar radiation in the photovoltaic active layer, due to the introduction of non-orthogonal light pathways in the device. The behavior of an organic P3HT:PCBM PV module was experimentally evaluated under different outdoor conditions (long-term measurements), confirming the increase of the OSC efficiency under diffuse radiation. The ZnO nanodiffusers contribution on the enhancement of OSCs performance was analyzed via computational simulations, based on finite element method. ZnO NPs with 160 nm in diameter were prepared by a green synthesis route and experimentally characterized. The results indicate that ZnO nanospheres of 160 nm in diameter present a high average Albedo value (0.88) in the visible spectrum range. The evaluated nanostructures scatter solar radiation predominantly in the forward direction. The use of ZnO NPs (160 nm diameter) on the organic solar cell top surface can reduce the device reflectance up to 95% at 530 nm, promoting an efficient light-coupling into the P3HT:PCBM active layer and simultaneously increasing the OSC active layer absorbance (26%). Light-trapping and anti-reflection contributions improve the photocurrent generation by enhancing the OSC short circuit current density by 27.9%.

Automated summary

This work proposes a new approach to improve the performance of organic solar cells by using Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanodiffusers. The experimental evaluation and computational simulations both confirmed the effectiveness of ZnO nanoparticles in enhancing the efficiency of organic solar cells. The use of ZnO nanodiffusers with a diameter of 160 nm significantly reduced device reflectance and improved light absorption, leading to an increase in the photocurrent generation.