A research team based in China and the United States has developed electroactive polymer -switterions to change zinc oxide interlayers in organic solar cells. Their work appeared to passivate defects in organic solar cells, improving the performance and stability of the device.
A group of scientists based in China and the United States used PolyMeerzwittersions that include conjugated units to change zinc oxide interlayers in organic solar cells.
Their work is presented in the research paper ‘Modification of zinc oxide intermediate layers with naphthalene-based polymer switterions for efficient organic solar cells“Available in the magazine Portable electronics.
The senior author of the study, Yao Liu, explained that zinc oxide films often contain numerous defects that act as electrical traps and recombination centers, relegated device performance. “To tackle this, metals, organic molecules and polymers were introduced in zinc oxide films for passivating and adjusting the defect,” Liu said.
The research team designed two new polymer -switterions, with benzene rings (BZ) or C = C Double bonds (CZ), by NaFtaleen Diimide -Conjugated Units and Sulfobetaine -Szwitterion -hanging pendants to integrate.
The researchers discovered that the Zwitterionic components effective zinc oxide defects passivate, so that Improving the electrical properties while the energy level is being adjusted to facilitate more efficient load extraction. In the meantime, the ultraviolet light absorption -properties of the NaFtalene -Diimide units were found to protect the active layers against photogradation.
When implemented in an organic solar cell, the BZ and CZ-modified zinc oxide films showed a power conversion efficiency of 17.96% and 17.97% respectively.
“These results confirm that the polymer switterions have effectively improved the performance of the zinc oxide nanopartot electron transport layersWith significant improvements in the efficiency of devices, “says the research paper, and added that the films have also demonstrated considerably improved device stability.
The article concludes that polymer-switterion modification is a promising strategy for the development of powerful metal oxide transport layers in organic photovoltaic layers. “Polymer Zwitterion-modified zinc oxide is a promising material candidate for flexible and portable electronics, which combines mechanical durability unique with stable electrical performance,” Liu added.
The research team consisted of scientists at Beijing University of Chemical Technology and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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