High-efficiency polymer solar cells with small photon energy loss

Kazuaki Kawashima; Yasunari Tamai; Hideo Ohkita; Itaru Osaka; Kazuo Takimiya

doi:10.1038/ncomms10085

High-efficiency polymer solar cells with small photon energy loss

Kazuaki Kawashima, Yasunari Tamai, Hideo Ohkita, Itaru Osaka, Kazuo Takimiya

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

318 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A crucial issue facing polymer-based solar cells is how to manage the energetics of the polymer/fullerene blends to maximize short-circuit current density and open-circuit voltage at the same time and thus the power conversion efficiency. Here we demonstrate that the use of a naphthobisoxadiazole-based polymer with a narrow bandgap of 1.52 eV leads to high open-circuit voltages of approximately 1V and high-power conversion efficiencies of ∼9% in solar cells, resulting in photon energy loss as small as ∼0.5 eV, which is much smaller than that of typical polymer systems (0.7-1.0 eV). This is ascribed to the high external quantum efficiency for the systems with a very small energy offset for charge separation. These unconventional features of the present polymer system will inspire the field of polymer-based solar cells towards further improvement of power conversion efficiencies with both high short-circuit current density and open-circuit voltage.

Original language	English
Article number	10085
Journal	Nature communications
Volume	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10085
Publication status	Published - 2015 Dec 1
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemistry(all)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
Physics and Astronomy(all)

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title = "High-efficiency polymer solar cells with small photon energy loss",

abstract = "A crucial issue facing polymer-based solar cells is how to manage the energetics of the polymer/fullerene blends to maximize short-circuit current density and open-circuit voltage at the same time and thus the power conversion efficiency. Here we demonstrate that the use of a naphthobisoxadiazole-based polymer with a narrow bandgap of 1.52 eV leads to high open-circuit voltages of approximately 1V and high-power conversion efficiencies of ∼9% in solar cells, resulting in photon energy loss as small as ∼0.5 eV, which is much smaller than that of typical polymer systems (0.7-1.0 eV). This is ascribed to the high external quantum efficiency for the systems with a very small energy offset for charge separation. These unconventional features of the present polymer system will inspire the field of polymer-based solar cells towards further improvement of power conversion efficiencies with both high short-circuit current density and open-circuit voltage.",

author = "Kazuaki Kawashima and Yasunari Tamai and Hideo Ohkita and Itaru Osaka and Kazuo Takimiya",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Nos. 24685030 and 23245041), Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO) from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Advanced Low Carbon Technology Research and Development Program (ALCA) from JST. 2D GIXD experiments were performed at SPring-8 with the approval of the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) (Proposal No. 2014A1530). We also thank Dr T. Koganezawa for supporting the GIXD measurement. We thank T. Kikitsu and Dr D. Hashizume for the TEM measurement.",

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doi = "10.1038/ncomms10085",

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AU - Kawashima, Kazuaki

AU - Tamai, Yasunari

AU - Ohkita, Hideo

AU - Osaka, Itaru

AU - Takimiya, Kazuo

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Nos. 24685030 and 23245041), Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO) from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Advanced Low Carbon Technology Research and Development Program (ALCA) from JST. 2D GIXD experiments were performed at SPring-8 with the approval of the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) (Proposal No. 2014A1530). We also thank Dr T. Koganezawa for supporting the GIXD measurement. We thank T. Kikitsu and Dr D. Hashizume for the TEM measurement.

PY - 2015/12/1

Y1 - 2015/12/1

N2 - A crucial issue facing polymer-based solar cells is how to manage the energetics of the polymer/fullerene blends to maximize short-circuit current density and open-circuit voltage at the same time and thus the power conversion efficiency. Here we demonstrate that the use of a naphthobisoxadiazole-based polymer with a narrow bandgap of 1.52 eV leads to high open-circuit voltages of approximately 1V and high-power conversion efficiencies of ∼9% in solar cells, resulting in photon energy loss as small as ∼0.5 eV, which is much smaller than that of typical polymer systems (0.7-1.0 eV). This is ascribed to the high external quantum efficiency for the systems with a very small energy offset for charge separation. These unconventional features of the present polymer system will inspire the field of polymer-based solar cells towards further improvement of power conversion efficiencies with both high short-circuit current density and open-circuit voltage.

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High-efficiency polymer solar cells with small photon energy loss

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