Improved Light Soaking and Thermal Stability of Organic Solar Cells by Robust Interfacial Modification

Publication Type

Journal Article

Name of Author

• Mwende Mbilo, Department of PhysicsFaculty of Science and TechnologyUniversity of Nairobi (UoN)
• Muhammad Haris, Advanced Materials and Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Science and Technology (UST)Daejeon Republic of Korea
• Du Hyeon Ryu Du Hyeon Ryu, Advanced Energy Materials Research CenterKorea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT)Daejeon Republic of Korea
• Julius Mwakondo Mwabora Mwabora, Department of PhysicsFaculty of Science and TechnologyUniversity of Nairobi (UoN)
• Robinson Juma Musembi, Department of PhysicsFaculty of Science and TechnologyUniversity of Nairobi (UoN)
• Seungjin Le, Advanced Energy Materials Research CenterKorea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT)Daejeon Republic of Korea
• Chang Eun Son, Advanced Energy Materials Research CenterKorea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT)Daejeon Republic of Korea
• Won Suk Shin, Advanced Materials and Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Science and Technology (UST)Daejeon Republic of Korea

Publication Date (Issue Year)

2024

Journal Name

Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research

Abstract

The most widely used material in electron transport layers (ETL) of invertedorganic solar cells (iOSCs) is zinc oxide (ZnO). However, the brittleness,inorganic nature, surface defects, and photocatalytic activity of ZnO lead to poorstability in iOSCs. Herein, the light-soaking and thermal stability of iOSCs aresubstantially improved by modifying ZnO surface with polyurethane diacrylate(SAR) or urethane acrylate (OCS)-based ultraviolet (UV) resins. The UV resinssignificantly reduce the energy barrier, suppress surface defects, and improveinterfacial contact between ZnO ETL and the organic photoactive layer. Notably,the SAR and OCS resins mitigate the photocatalytic activity of ZnO, electricalleakage, and interfacial resistance during photoaging of OSCs. As a result, iOSCsbased on modified ZnOs retain over 80% of initial efficiency under 1 sunillumination for light soaking 1000 h. Furthermore, SAR and OCS resins on ZnOsurfaces form a robust crosslinked network with excellent solvent resistantproperties, which result in enhanced thermal stability. These results revealthat this simple and effective approach is a promising procedure to fabricatehigh-performance iOSCs

Keywords

Light Soaking, Thermal Stability, OrganicSolar Cells, Robust Interfacial Modification

Grantee Name(s)

Mwende Mbilo

Project Title

Self-cleaning solar module for enhanced electrical output

Type of Grant

Research Award

Thematic Area

Energy including Renewables

Funding Statement

The authors would like to acknowledge Partnership for Skills in AppliedSciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET)-Regional ScholarshipInnovation Fund (RSIF) (World Bank PASET No. IP22-15). This workwas also supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF)(NRF-2021R1A2C2091787 and NRF-2022M3H4A1A03076280) and bythe National Research Council of Science and Technology (grant no.Global-23-007) of Republic of Korea. The authors are grateful to SpecialMaterials Source (SMS) Company, Republic of Korea, for supplying theSAR and OCS UV resins

Recommended Citation

Mbilo, M., Haris, M., Du Hyeon Ryu, D., Mwabora, J. M., Musembi, R. J., Le, S., Son, C. E., & Shin, W. S. (2024). Improved Light Soaking and Thermal Stability of Organic Solar Cells by Robust Interfacial Modification. Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.202300210