ITO-free flexible polymer solar cells with ink-jet-printed Ag grids

Abstract

We have demonstrated cost-effective ITO-free polymer solar cells (PSCs) with ink-jet-printed current collecting Ag grids in combination with highly conductive PEDOT:PSS as a composite transparent electrode. By ink-jetting of Ag nano-particle solution, we were able to obtain ink-jet-printed Ag grids with sheet resistance of 15.8 Omega/square and optical transmittance of 82.51% at 550 nm wavelength. Furthermore, the ITO-free PSC with the composite transparent anode on flexible substrates exhibited excellent cell-performances: fill factor of 64.72%, short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 6.301 mA cm(-2), open-circuit voltage (V-oc) of 0.562 V and power conversion efficiency of 2.292%, indicating the ink-jet-printed grid-based electrode is a visible alternative to cost-intensive sputter-grown ITO electrodes and a promising printing-based electrode for realization of fully printed and flexible ITO-free photovoltaic devices.