Heterojunction solar cells with improved power conversion efficiency using graphene quantum dots

Yang Dang; Xinyang Zhang; Xin Chen; Bonan Kang; S. Ravi P. Silva

doi:10.1039/C6RA20534H

Heterojunction solar cells with improved power conversion efficiency using graphene quantum dots

Yang Dang,^a Xinyang Zhang,^b Xin Chen,^a Bonan Kang*^a and S. Ravi P. Silva^c

* Corresponding authors

^a State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, China
E-mail: kangbn@jlu.edu.cn

^b State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, China

^c Nanoelectronics Centre, Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK

Abstract

The effect of incorporating graphene quantum dots (GQDs) synthesized by a hydrothermal method in the active layer of organic solar cells was investigated. The doping of GQDs into poly[N-9′′-hepta-decanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole)]:C₇₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCDTBT:PC₇₁BM) active layer resulted in 21% enhancement in power conversion efficiency. The doped GQDs act as exciton dissociation centres in the PCDTBT:PC₇₁BM system. The improvement can be mainly attributed to the fact that the GQDs provide plenty of exciton dissociation interfaces and improve the charge transport pathway. Moreover, the doping of GQDs also offered a general route to optimize the light absorption of organic photovoltaic devices. Our results indicate that doping of hydrothermally synthesized GQDs offers a facile approach to improve the performance of the polymer solar cells.

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA20534H

Article type

Paper

Submitted

15 Aug 2016

Accepted

15 Nov 2016

First published

15 Nov 2016

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RSC Adv., 2016,6, 110493-110498

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Heterojunction solar cells with improved power conversion efficiency using graphene quantum dots

Y. Dang, X. Zhang, X. Chen, B. Kang and S. R. P. Silva, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 110493 DOI: 10.1039/C6RA20534H

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Heterojunction solar cells with improved power conversion efficiency using graphene quantum dots

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