Efficiency Enhancement in Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Photovoltaic Cells Using ZrTiO4/Bi2O3 Metal-Oxide Nanocomposites

Abstract

We report the effect of metal-oxide nanocomposites on the performance of bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells. A photoactive layer composed of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C-61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) was blended with a newly developed ZrTiO4/Bi2O3 (BITZ) metal-oxide nanocomposite. We observed a short-circuit current density of 9.90 mA/cm(2), an open-circuit voltage of 0.64 V, and a fill factor of 0.60. The overall power conversion efficiency increased from 3.20 to 3.72% with an external quantum efficiency improvement of 66%. The enhancement in performance was attributed to the improved absorption and fast transport of charge carriers by the suppressed recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes. (C) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics