High-Efficiency Inverted Polymer Solar Cells with Double Interlayer

We have studied the performance of normal and inverted bulk-heterojunction solar cells with an active layer composed of a blend of poly[(4,4'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]silole)-2,6-diyl-alt-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-4,7-diyl] (PDTS-BTD) and {6,6}-phenyl-C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC(71)BM). For inverted cells, a thin layer of ZnO nanoparticles and MoO(3) were used as interlayers for the bottom cathode and the top anode respectively. To enhance the device performance, a thin film of 4,4',4″-tris[N-(3-methylphenyl)-N-phenylamino]triphenylamine (MTDATA) was used along with MoO(3) as an anode interlayer to improve the hole extraction from the photoactive layer to the anode. The inverted polymer solar cells with double interlayer exhibit a higher power conversion efficiency of 6.45% compared to the conventional cell of 4.91% due to efficient charge extraction and favorable vertical morphology of active layer blend. Our ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy results indicate that the formation of band bending due to interlayer leads to the enhancement in hole extraction.