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Abstract
We investigated blends of semiconducting polymers with copper indium diselenide nanocrystals for photovoltaic applications.
Depending on the synthesis, the particles are shielded by different amount of organic surfactants. Different concentrations of these
nanoparticles were suspended in the polymer solutions and spin cast onto ITO glass. Solar cells were then produced by evaporation
of aluminium as the back contact. Optical, electrical and morphological properties of this new prototype of composite solar cells
were investigated.
䊚 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
0040-6090/04/$ - see front matter 䊚 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2003.11.026
E. Arici et al. / Thin Solid Films 451 – 452 (2004) 612–618 613
Fig. 4. AFM images of blends consist of CISe:P3HT in a weight ratio of 10:1 depending on the CISe preparation (see also Fig. 2).
616 E. Arici et al. / Thin Solid Films 451 – 452 (2004) 612–618
Fig. 6. IyV characteristics of P3HTyCISe hybrid devices with increasing CISe amount in comparison to pure P3HT devices in the dark and under
AM 1.5 illumination.
E. Arici et al. / Thin Solid Films 451 – 452 (2004) 612–618 617
A further increasing of the CISe amount in the washing with organic solvents, providing a better charge
polymer to a weight ratio of 90% in the same cell carrier exchange between nanoparticle and the conduct-
design results in a decreasing of the rectification ratios ing polymer. Another strategy is combining surfactants,
2.6 in the dark at "2 V and 2.75 under illumination. with different strength of the adsorption on the particle
And there was no detectable photovoltaic effect (Fig. surface, so that the interface between the nanoparticle
6d). and the polymer can be optimized.
A possible explanation for the increasing photocurrent The X-ray, morphology and electrical characterization
in devices consisting of 85 wt.% CIS may be due to the should be done systematically, depending on the synthe-
forming of an interconnected network of the P3HT with sis conditions, to find a good balance between the three
the CISe nanoparticles. From the spectral response of components to fulfill the requirements for an effective
the blends at wavelengths greater than 650 nm, where cell.
the CISe nanoparticles are excited exclusively, it can be
inferred that the excitation of the CISe contributes to Acknowledgments
the photocurrent generation. For the sake of the evalu-
ation of the photocurrent data, which is detected with
an equipment configured for the spectral ranges up to This work is sponsored by the Deutsche Bundesmin-
750 nm, complementary measurements have to be isterium fur ¨
¨ Bildung und Forschung, Forderkennzeichen
investigated. 01SF0026. We express our sincere thanks to P. Skabara,
A comparison between Fig. 6(2), (3) and (4) shows Inorganic Chemistry, Manchester University, England.
the influence of the CISe–TOPO amount in the series TEM work was performed at the Technische Service
resistance of the device. In the dark, the influence of Einrichtung (TSE) of the Johannes Kepler University
the series resistance can be seen in the forward direction, in Linz.
the curves became flat and the injection currents are
lower, with increasing CISe–TOPO ratio. Accordingly, References
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