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Improvement in the open-circuit voltage of an organic photovoltaic device through selection of a suitable and low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital for the electron donor layer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2013

Shun-Wei Liu  and
Chun-Feng Lin
Shun-Wei Liu*
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City 24301, Taiwan, Republic of China
Chun-Feng Lin
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City 24301, Taiwan, Republic of China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: swliu@mail.mcut.edu.tw
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Abstract

A high open-circuit voltage (VOC) of an organic photovoltaic device (OPV) has been realized using an ultrathin electron donor layer, 2,3-Bis(2-(diphenylamino)-9,9′- spirobifluorene-7-yl)fumaronitrile (PhSPFN), which exhibits the most suitable and low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) to align between the anode and donor energy levels. The planar heterojunction OPV, represented as indium tin oxide electrode/PhSPFN/fullerene C60/bathocuproine/aluminum electrode shows high performance with a VOC of 0.91 V, short current density of 3.9 mA/cm2, fill factor of 56% and power conversion efficiency of 2% under an air-mass of 1.5 global illumination at 1 sun. In addition, the effect of the VOC change is discussed in terms of various donor materials. The VOC turns out to be restricted to the energetic alignment between the work function of the anode and the HOMO level, indicating that the optimization of VOC requires energetically good contact between the anode and organic materials.

Keywords

organicphotovoltaicoptoelectronic
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 28 , Issue 11 , 14 June 2013 , pp. 1442 - 1448
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

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