Versatile Electron-Collecting Interfacial Layer by in Situ Growth of Silver Nanoparticles in Nonconjugated Polyelectrolyte Aqueous Solution for Polymer Solar Cells

Novel PEIE-Ag composites by in situ growth of silver nanoparticles in poly(ethylenimine)-ethoxylated (PEIE) aqueous solution are explored as an efficient interfacial layer for improving inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs) performance. The hybrid PEIE-Ag interfacial material is simple to fabricate only via ultraviolet irradiation with good water-solubility and unique film formation. The generated Ag nanoparticles can anchor in the PEIE polymer chains to form a conductive continuous interpenetrating network structure. Combining of the advantages of PEIE and Ag nanoparticles, the PEIE-Ag shows enhanced charge transport, electron selective and collection, and improved light-harvesting, mainly due to the surface plasmon resonance effect, better energy alignment induced by the formation of ideal dipole layer, as well as the improved conductivity. These distinguished interfacial properties result in the power conversion efficiency of inverted PSCs based on poly[4,8-bis(2-ethyl-hexyl-thiophene-5-yl)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b]dithiophene-2,6-diyl]-alt-[2-(2-ethyl-hexanoyl)-thieno[3,4-b]thiophen-4,6-diyl] (PBDTTT-C-T) and [6,6]-phenyl C-71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) photoactive layer substantially improved up to 7.66% from 6.11%. Moreover, the device performance is insensitively dependent on the thickness of the PEIE-Ag interfacial layer, broadening the thicknesses selection window for interfacial materials. These results demonstrate that PEIE-Ag is a potential interfacial material compatible with roll-to-roll techniques and suitable for printed electronic devices.