Recent Advances in Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells

Modeling and simulation of bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells

This review summarizes the optical and electrical models of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) polymer solar cells (PSCs) and numerically simulates and analyzes the performance of the PSCs. A complete simulation of a conventional BHJ device based on the polymer P3HT is presented and results are compared with the experimental data. Key factors affecting the device performance, including the photo absorpt...

Morphology of polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells

Within the different organic photovoltaic devices the conjugated polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction approach is one of the foci of today’s research interest. These devices are highly dependent on the solid state nanoscale morphology of the two components (donor/acceptor) in the photoactive layer. The need for finely phase separated polymer–fullerene blends is expressed by the limited exciton...

Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells — Opportunities and Challenges

Electron and Hole Transport Layers: Their Use in Inverted Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells

Bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells (BHJ PSCs) are very promising organic-based devices for low-cost solar energy conversion, compatible with roll-to-roll or general printing methods for mass production. Nevertheless, to date, many issues should still be addressed, one of these being the poor stability in ambient conditions. One elegant way to overcome such an issue is the so-called “invert...

Molecular Packing and Electronic Processes in Amorphous-like Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Fullerene Intercalation

The interpenetrating morphology formed by the electron donor and acceptor materials is critical for the performance of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) photovoltaic (PV) cells. In this work we carried out a systematic investigation on a high PV efficiency (>6%) BHJ system consisting of a newly developed 5,6-difluorobenzo[c] thiadiazole-based copolymer, PFBT-T20TT, and a fullerene der...