Sains Malaysiana 53(10)(2024): 3511-3520

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2024-5310-23

 

Enhancing Indoor Photovoltaic Performance of Inverted Type Organic Solar Cell by Controlling Photoactive Layer Solution Concentration

(Meningkatkan Prestasi Fotovoltaik Dalaman Sel Suria Organik Jenis Terbalik dengan Mengawal Kepekatan Larutan Lapisan Fotoaktif)

 

MOHAMED NAFEER WAJIDH¹, NOUR ATTALLAH ISSA¹, KAM SHENG LAU¹, SIN TEE TAN², CHIN HUA CHIA¹, MUSLIZAINUN MUSTAPHA¹, MOHAMMAD HAFIZUDDIN HJ JUMALI¹ & CHI CHIN YAP^1,*

 

¹Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

²Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

 

Received: 1 April 2024/Accepted: 27 August 2024

 

Abstract

With the development of various low-power indoor electronic devices, indoor photovoltaics, particularly organic solar cells (OSCs) have attracted a lot of interest in recent years. Increasing the light absorption and suppressing the leakage current are pivotal to improve the indoor photovoltaic performance of OSCs. In this study, the carbon quantum dots (CQDs)-incorporated photoactive layer solution concentration was varied to improve the photovoltaic performance under 1-sun and indoor white LED illumination. The photoactive layer was composed of (6,6)-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester) (PCBM) as the acceptor and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the donor. The ZnO electron transport layer was deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass substrates using a spin coating technique. The photoactive layers with different solution concentrations were spin coated on top of the ZnO layer. For device completion, silver anode was thermally evaporated. It is interesting to find that the optimum solution concentration obtained under white LED illumination is larger than that under 1-sun illumination. The maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.95% was obtained under 1-sun illumination for device with the solution concentration of 36 mg/mL, whereas, under white LED illumination, the highest PCE of 3.59% was obtained for the device with solution concentration of 48 mg/mL.The discrepancy is ascribed to the higher light absorption of thicker photoactive layer and less significant charge recombination loss under weak light intensity. This study highlights the importance of using different optimization strategies to improve the photovoltaic performance of OSCs for outdoor and indoor applications.

 

Keywords: Carbon quantum dots; charge recombination; leakage current; light absorption; thickness

 

Abstrak

Dengan pembangunan pelbagai peranti elektronik dalaman berkuasa rendah, fotovoltaik dalaman, terutamanya sel suria organik (OSC) telah menarik banyak perhatian sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini. Peningkatan penyerapan cahaya dan pengurangan kebocoran arus adalah penting untuk meningkatkan prestasi fotovoltaik dalaman OSC. Dalam kajian ini, kepekatan larutan lapisan fotoaktif yang digabungkan titik kuantum karbon (CQDs) telah diubah untuk meningkatkan prestasi fotovoltaik di bawah pencahayaan 1-matahari dan LED putih dalaman. Lapisan fotoaktif terdiri daripada (6,6)-fenil-C₆₁ butrik asid metal ester (PCBM) sebagai penerima dan poli (3-heksilthiofena) (P3HT) sebagai penderma. Lapisan pengangkut elektron ZnO dimendapkan pada substrat kaca bersalut oksida timah terdop fluorin (FTO) menggunakan teknik salutan putaran. Lapisan fotoaktif dengan kepekatan larutan yang berbeza disalut di atas lapisan ZnO. Untuk menghasilkan peranti, anod perak disejat secara terma. Adalah menarik untuk mendapati bahawa kepekatan larutan optimum yang diperoleh di bawah pencahayaan LED putih adalah lebih besar daripada di bawah pencahayaan 1-matahari. Kecekapan penukaran kuasa (PCE) maksimum 0.95% diperoleh di bawah pencahayaan 1-matahari untuk peranti dengan kepekatan larutan 36 mg/mL, manakala, di bawah pencahayaan LED putih, PCE tertinggi sebanyak 3.59% diperoleh untuk peranti dengan kepekatan larutan 48 mg/mL. Percanggahan itu adalah disebabkan oleh penyerapan cahaya yang lebih tinggi bagi lapisan fotoaktif yang lebih tebal dan kehilangan penggabungan semula cas yang kurang ketara di bawah keamatan cahaya yang lemah. Kajian ini menonjolkan kepentingan menggunakan strategi pengoptimuman yang berbeza untuk meningkatkan prestasi fotovoltaik OSC untuk aplikasi luaran dan dalaman.

 

Kata kunci: Arus bocor; ketebalan; penggabungan semula cas; penyerapan cahaya; titik kuantum karbon

 

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*Corresponding author; email: ccyap@ukm.edu.my