| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1786189 | Current Applied Physics | 2015 | 6 Pages |
•ITO free hybrid electrode has been investigated for the fabrication of organic solar cells (OSCs).•PEDOT:PTS/Au/TiO2 (grid) hybrid electrode can replace ITO electrode.•Adhesion of TiO2 under layer and Au was improved due to the chemisorptions of Au on TiO2.•The multilayer grids were optimized to provide an average transmission of 81% and a sheet resistance of ∼17 Ω/□.•The best PCE was 3.88%, comparable to that ITO based devices, PCE 3.91%.
Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythophene): p-toluenesulfonate (PEDOT:PTS)/Au/TiO2 grid hybrid structures were investigated to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. The effects of TiO2 on the optical properties of PEDOT:PTS/Au and on the critical thickness of Au films at which point the films become electrically continuous were discussed. The multilayer grids were optimized to provide an average transmission of 81% and a sheet resistance of ∼17 Ω/□. In addition, the TiO2 underlayers allowed for the excellent adhesion of the Au grid to a glass substrate. Organic solar cells (OSCs) were fabricated based on PEDOT:PTS(∼70 nm)/Au(12.5 nm)/TiO2 (25 nm) grid hybrid anodes and exhibited an open-circuit voltage of 0.62 V, short-circuit current density of 12.27 mA cm−2, fill factor of 0.51, and power conversion efficiency of 3.88%. These values are comparable to those of ITO-based OSCs. Therefore, PEDOT:PTS/Au/TiO2 grid hybrid structures would be a viable alternative to ITO electrodes for high efficiency organic solar cells.
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