Volume 46, Issue 12 pp. 16791-16798
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Conjugated oxazole-based interfacial materials for efficient and stable inverted polymer solar cell with an efficiency of 16.52%

Sankar Sekar

Sankar Sekar

Department of Semiconductor Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Quantum-functional Semiconductor Research Center, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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K. Ashok Kumar

K. Ashok Kumar

Department of Chemistry, Anna University, Chennai, India

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Vijaya Gopalan Sree

Vijaya Gopalan Sree

Division of Physics and Semiconductor Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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G. Gnanamoorthy

G. Gnanamoorthy

Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, India

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Sejoon Lee

Corresponding Author

Sejoon Lee

Department of Semiconductor Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Quantum-functional Semiconductor Research Center, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Correspondence

Ramalingam Manikandan and Sejoon Lee, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Deuk Young Kim

Deuk Young Kim

Department of Semiconductor Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Quantum-functional Semiconductor Research Center, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Ramalingam Manikandan

Corresponding Author

Ramalingam Manikandan

Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, India

Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Madras, Chennai, India

Correspondence

Ramalingam Manikandan and Sejoon Lee, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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First published: 05 July 2022
Citations: 3

Funding information: National Research Foundation of Korea, Grant/Award Numbers: 2016R1A6A1A03012877, 2019R1A2C1085448

Summary

Organic solar cells (OSCs) using non-fullerene acceptors have delivered the highest efficiencies in the overall reported literatures. In order to improve the efficiency and stability of OSCs, great efforts are being made in designing and synthesizing new materials. Inverted OSCs were fabricated using three commercially available and inexpensive materials, 5-methylbenzoxazole (E1), 2-(4-biphenyl)-5-phenyloxazole (E2), and 4-bis(5-phenyl-2-oxazolyl)benzene (E3), as an interlayer between zinc oxide and the active layer. The new interlayer materials enhance the carrier injection/extraction properties and thus, the polymer solar cells (PSCs) exhibited an improved JSC and power conversion efficiency (PCE). PSCs showed an improved JSC of 27.18 from 24.88 mA/cm2 with the introduction of E3. The new interlayer, E3 in particular, forms well-aligned cascading energy levels between the PM6:Y6 active layer and zinc oxide layer. These cascading energy levels reduce the energy barrier for electron injection and collection at the interface. Thus, the PCE of devices reached a remarkable 16.52% using interlayer at the ZnO/active layer interface. The devices also exhibited improved device stability under continuous illumination, annealing, and high humidity.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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