We have fabricated poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)/fullerene (PC₇₁BM) ternary blend films. This photoactive layer is sandwiched between an indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS) photoanode and a bathophenanthroline (Bphen)/Ag photocathode. The thin films have been characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM) and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy in order to study the influence of CuPc doping on the morphological and optical properties of the photoactive layer. We have also compared the J-V characteristics of two different organic solar cells (OSCs): ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT_0.5:PC₇₁BM_0.5/Bphen/Ag and ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT_0.3:CuPc_0.3:PC₇₁BM_0.4/Bphen/Ag with and without annealing. Both structures show good photovoltaic behavior. Actually, the incorporation of CuPc into P3HT:PC₇₁BM thin film improves all the photovoltaic characteristics. We have also seen that thermal annealing significantly improves the optical absorption ability and stabilizes the OSCs making it more robust to chemical degradation.

Date Published: 25 October 2016
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9686, 8th International Symposium on Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing Technologies: Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, 96861B (25 October 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2243403

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9686:
8th International Symposium on Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing Technologies: Optoelectronic Materials and Devices
Yadong Jiang; Bernard Kippelen; Junsheng Yu, Editor(s)