journal article·2019-05-10Open access

Underwater Organic Solar Cells via Selective Removal of Electron Acceptors near the Top Electrode

Jaemin Kong, Dennis Nordlund, Jong Sung Jin, Sang Yup Kim, Sun-Mi Jin, Di Huang, Yifan Zheng, Christopher Karpovich, Genevieve Sertic, Hanyu Wang, Jinyang Li, Guoming Weng, Francisco Antonio, Marina Mariano, Stephen Maclean, TengHooi Goh, Jin Young Kim, André D. Taylor

ACS Energy Letters· Volume 4· Issue 5

Abstract

Electron acceptor degradation of organic solar cells is considered a main contributor to performance instability and a barrier for the commercialization of organic solar cells. Here, we selectively remove the electron acceptors on the surface of donor:acceptor blend films using a tape stripping technique. The near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectrum reveals that only 6% of the acceptor component is left on the blend film surface after the tape stripping, creating a polymer-rich surface. The optimized morphology avoids direct contact of electron acceptors with the oxygen and water molecules from the film surface. Moreover, the polymer-rich surface dramatically enhances the adhesion between the photoactive layer and the top metal electrode, which prevents delamination of the electrode. Our results finally demonstrate that the selective removal of electron acceptors near the top electrode facilitates the realization of highly durable organic solar cells that can even function under water without encapsulation.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics · Conducting polymers and applications · Perovskite Materials and Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States

Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States

Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States

Division of High Technology Research, Korea Basic Science Institute, Busan 46742, South Korea

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States

Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States

Department of Energy Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, South Korea

Funding

National Aeronautics and Space Administration · Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems · National Research Foundation of Korea · Division of Materials Research · Yale Climate and Energy Institute

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