Improving open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of high-efficiency silicon-based planar heterojunction solar cells by combining V2O5 with PEDOT:PSS

In recent years, a novel PEDOT:PSS/n-Si planar heterojunction solar cell has been extensively studied in the photovoltaic field. Different V2O5-IPA concentrations mixed in PEDOT:PSS samples as hole transport layer were prepared by means of spin coating technique and mechanical mixing of organic and inorganic materials. V2O5 was studied for its effects on the surface morphology, chemical composition, and optical transmittance of PEDOT:PSS films. The findings of the study show that the addition of V2O5 particles changes the surface morphology of PEDOT:PSS films and promotes its superior ohmic contact with the Si interface. Furthermore, PEDOT:PSS incorporated with V2O5 particles that have outstanding optical and semiconductor properties reduces the rate of carrier recombination at the device interface and blocks electron transport to the anode in the fabricated Si-based solar cells. When compared to conventional PEDOT:PSS/Si planar heterojunction solar cells, the fill factor, photoelectric conversion efficiency, open-circuit voltage, and short-circuit current density of the devices prepared in this study can be significantly improved, reaching up to 70.98 %, 15.17 %, 652 mV and 32.8 mA/cm2, respectively. This research provides a promising and effective method for improving the photoelectric conversion performance of PEDOT:PSS/Si heterojunction solar cells, which enables the application of V2O5 in Si solar cells.