Fabrication, characterization and modeling of high efficiency inverted polymer solar cells

Identifier:  TDX:2866

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX2866

Authors:  Sánchez López, José Guadalupe

Abstract:
The advances on the renewable energy technologies still allow obtaining good performances with lower cost than fossil fuel prices. Photovoltaics (solar cells) is the most developed solar energy technology due to converts directly the sunlight energy into electricity. The organic solar cells based on polymer:fullerne materials (PSCs) are considered as a promising low-cost energy source. Nowadays, the PSCs must exhibit high efficiency, long lifetime, low-cost fabrication, and environmentally friendly qualities for their large-scale commercialization. Herein the fabrication, modelling and characterization of polymer-based organic solar cells with inverted architecture (iPSCs) were described. The thesis focuses on the study of the simultaneous improvement of efficiency and long-term stability of iPSCs based on polymer:fullerenes. The polymers PTB7 and PTB7-Th were used as electron donor materials, whereas the fullerene PC70BM was used as the electron acceptor. Zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium oxide (TiOx) were used as electron transport layers (ETL), moreover PFN was used for comparison purposes. All iPSC devices were characterized by optical, electrical and photophysical methods in order to understand the loss mechanisms involved in the degradation process. Equivalent circuit models were used to analyze the J-V characteristics in the dark and impedance spectroscopy data was used to identify the origin of the loss mechanisms. High efficient and stable organic solar cells based on PTB7:PC70BM and PTB7-Th:PC70BM with inverted architecture were demonstrated in this thesis. Moreover, TiOx used as an electron transport layer is crucial for improving the efficiency and the stability of iPSCs. Finally, it was also demonstrated that ZnO layers deposited by inkjet printing can be successfully applied to the fabrication of high efficiency iPSCs at laboratory scale.