Conventional and Metal Oxide-Based Inverted Polymer Solar Cells: A Comparative Experimental Study

P3HT/PCBM-based polymer solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated using conventional and inverted device architectures. Conventional PSCs were annealed at various temperatures ranging from room temperature (RT) to 180 & DEG;C. At 130 & DEG;C, the PSC exhibited enhanced device performance with efficiency of 2.64%. PSCs with oxide (TiO2/ZnO) interlayers were found to play an effective role in enhancing the photovoltaic (PV) properties of the cells, providing an energy step that efficiently contributes to the extraction and transport of electrons. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the as-prepared oxide (TiO2/ZnO)-based inverted PSCs was 3.16% and 2.32%, respectively, compared with efficiency of 0.77% for the reference device. The difference in efficiency followed a trend similar to that reported in our previous study. The photovoltaic (PV) properties of inverted PSCs were also tested at various annealing temperatures ranging from RT to 110 & DEG;C. Interestingly, TiO2-based PSCs exhibited higher performance than ZnO-based inverted devices, suggesting that the interfacial electron transfer and recombination rates were effectively tuned because of the presence of TiO2 between the working electrode and the device's active layer (AL).

Automated summary

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on P3HT/PCBM were fabricated using conventional and inverted device architectures. Annealing at 130 & DEG;C improved the device performance, reaching an efficiency of 2.64%. Oxide interlayers (TiO2/ZnO) enhanced the PV properties, providing an efficient pathway for electron extraction and transport. The inverted PSCs based on oxide interlayers showed higher efficiency compared to the reference device, with PCEs of 3.16% and 2.32% respectively.