Photovoltaic properties of conjugated polymer/fullerene composites on large area flexible substrates

Abstract

  (Received June 10, 1999; revised December 31, 1999) In this paper we present measurements of the photovoltaic response of bulk donor-acceptor heterojunction between the conjugated polymer, poly(3-octylthiophene), P3OT, (as a donor, D) and fullerene (methanofullerene), (as acceptor, A), deposited between indium tin oxide and aluminum electrodes. The innovation involves the substrate, which is a polymer foil instead of glass. These devices are based on ultrafast, reversible, metastable photoinduced electron transfer and charge separation. We also present the efficiency and stability studies on large area (6 cm x 6 cm) flexible plastic solar cells with monochromatic energy conversion efficiency (e) of about 1.5% and carrier collection efficiency of nearly 20%. Further more, we have investigated the surface network morphology of these films layers by atomic force microscope (AFM). The development of solar cells based on composites of organic conjugated semi-conducting polymers with fullerene derivatives can provide a new method in the exploitation of solar energy. Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2000, 14(1), 57-68 Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia. ISSN: 1011-3924