Nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide nanocrystals as second electron acceptor in PTB7:PC₇₁BM-based organic photovoltaic cells

Herein, we report the synthesis of nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide (FeS₂) nanocrystals (NCs) using a two-pot method. Moreover, we study the influence of these NCs incorporated into the PTB7:PC₇₁BM active layer of bulk-heterojunction ternary organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. The OPV devices are fabricated with the direct configuration glass/ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PTB7:PC₇₁BM:FeS₂/PFN/FM. The Field’s metal (FM) is a eutectic alloy composed of 32.5% Bi, 51% In and 16.5% Sn by weight that melts at 62 °C. It is deposited on the active layer/PFN under atmospheric conditions. Ternary active layers are prepared by adding small amounts of the semiconducting FeS₂ NCs at different weight ratios of 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 wt % with respect to the electron donor PTB7. With respect to the reference device (without FeS₂), a 21% increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is observed for OPVs with 0.5 wt % FeS₂, such that the PCE of the OPVs is enhanced from 5.69 to 6.47%. According to the Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney statistical tests, all OPV devices follow the same trend.