Photovoltaic interface modification via electrostatic self-assembly

The device efficiency of PPV-C-60 based photovoltaic devices has been substantially increased by increasing the interfacial area between the electron donor and acceptor layers. Electrostatic Self-Assembly (ESA) provides a means to deposit thin films of electroactive materials with a very controlled thickness and has shown usefulness in modifying physical and electrical interfaces. in this study, we attempt to control the effective interfacial area by modifying the interface between the PPV electron donor and C-60-based electron acceptor with molecularly blended ESA bilayers of PPV and derivatized C-60 If is observed that with only 2 bilayers of (PPV/C-60(-)) a 3-fold increase in device efficiency is obtained. Thus, ESA films offer promise for the nanoscaled modification of interfaces in organic-based photocells.