This presentation discusses the coorperative plasmonic effect of Ag and Au nanoparticles on enhancing performance of polymer solar cells.  Since the polymers are discreet molecular materials and the active layer of BHJ cells is an ultra-thin film, low charge carrier mobility, insufficient light trapping and harvest are several key limiting factors.  Plamonic metal nanoparticles were shown to enhance light harvesting for organic photovoltaic devices. In this article, we show the cooperative effect of plasmonic enhancement on polymer BHJ solar cells when a mixed Ag and Au nanoparticles are incorporated into anode buffer layer. Dual nanoparticles not only enhance light absorption but also facilitate hole transport in the device under 1-sun illumination. The cooperative plasmonic effect led to the realization of a solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 8.67%, accounting for 20% enhancement. Detailed studies shed light into the influence of plasmonic nanostructures on exciton generation, dissociation and charge recombination inside thin film devices.

Highly efficient polymer solar cells via cooperative plasmonic effect of Ag and Au

247th National Meeting (2014)

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