Impact of Interfacial Contact Layers on Photon-to-Electron Conversion Loss in Organic Solar Cells

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Technical Description: Interfacial contact layers (ICLs) have been shown to improve organic solar cell performance and stability. However, how different ICL materials function with different active layer materials is not well understood, and the commonly used ICL materials today suffer from several limitations and drawbacks. This project focuses on solution synthesis of metal-oxide nanoparticles for interfacial contact layers in organic solar cells and on experimental and simulation studies of their role in affecting charge separation, transport, and collection. The synthesis component of the project aims to understand and improve the physical and electronic properties of the metal-oxide nanoparticles for specific active layer components in solution to avoid the need of aggressive post processing. In addition to materials characterization, the nanoparticles' effectiveness as ICL materials on the photon-to-electron conversion process is studied through device testing and frequency-domain spectroscopies, which probe the charge recombination and transport dynamics. To understand the experimental results, realistic Monte Carlo device modeling is employed to pinpoint the dominant charge carrier loss mechanism(s). Additionally, currently available drift-diffusion transport model assumes uniform generation, which is only applicable for weak absorbers. In this project, two open-source simulation codes are integrated to model drift-diffusion transport in multi-layer solar cells. The knowledge gained from this interdisciplinary research is expected to improve our understanding of photogenerated carrier dynamics in organic systems.Non-technical Description: The project addresses the needs of energy harvesting and other organic electronic technologies, including new materials, novel synthesis approaches, and a combination of characterization techniques and state-of-art modeling to improve our knowledge in energy harvesting process. The computer programs developed in this project are to be available to the public. In addition to graduate student education, the project enables hands-on participation of the Dallas-area high-school and undergraduate students, providing opportunities for US youngsters to approach Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The principal investigators also participate in outreach activities to K-12 students, in recruitment and retention of women and under-represented minority students, and in serving the broader scientific communities through various professional societies.