Facile Approach to Preparing a Vanadium Oxide Hydrate Layer as a Hole-Transport Layer for High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells

We demonstrate a facile and green approach to preparing a vanadium oxide hydrate (VO x · n H 2 O) layer to serve as the hole-transport layer (HTL) in high-performance polymer solar cells (PSCs). The VO x · n H 2 O layer was in situ prepared by a combined H 2 O 2 and ultraviolet-ozone (UVO) processing on a VO x layer. The as-prepared VO x · n H 2 O layer featured a work function of 5.0 ± 0.1 eV, high transmittance, and better interface properties compared to those of the generally prepared VO x (UVO or thermal annealing) layers. PSCs based on poly[(ethylhexyl-thiophenyl)-benzodithiophene-(ethylhexyl)-thienothiophene]/[6,6]-phenyl-C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester using the VO x · n H 2 O layer as the HTL yielded high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) up to 8.11%, outperforming the devices with VO x layers (PCE of 6.79% for the UVO-processed VO x layer and 6.10% for the thermally annealed VO x layer) and conventional polyethylenedioxythiophene–polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) layers (PCE of 7.67%). The improved PCE was attributed to the enhanced J SC and/or fill factor, which mainly correlate to the improved interfacial contact between the photoactive layer and the indium tin oxide/HTL or cathode when using the VO x · n H 2 O layer as the HTL. A similar improvement in the PCE was also observed for the PSCs based on poly(3-hexylthiophene)/[6,6]-phenyl-C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester. In addition, PSCs with a VO x · n H 2 O layer as the HTL showed a higher stability than that of those with a PEDOT:PSS layer. Hence, it would be possible to use this simply and in situ prepared VO x · n H 2 O layer as an inexpensive HTL for high-performance PSCs.