A Facile Solution‐Processed Light Manipulation Structure for Organic Solar Cells

Abstract Light manipulation strategy plays a critical role in increasing the light harvesting of organic solar cells (OSCs). However, the incorporation of light manipulation structures in OSCs is usually hindered by complex lithography‐based techniques. Herein, a facile and solution‐processed structured ZnO film is proposed, consisting of ZnO colloidal spheres (CS) embedded in ZnO nanoparticles for broadband light scattering and antireflection in OSCs. By combining monodisperse ZnO CS (m‐ZnO) as an electron collection layer and polydisperse ZnO CS (p‐ZnO) as an antireflection layer, single‐junction OSCs yield a substantial increase in photocurrent and power conversion efficiency by 14.63% compared to the reference cell with a flat structure. The experimental and theoretical characterizations ascribe the performance enhancement to the enhanced absorption due to a synergetic interplay of p‐ZnO‐induced antireflection and surface plasmonic scattering excited by corrugated metal electrode. It is anticipated that this light manipulation method represents a facile yet cost‐effective route to achieving high‐efficiency OSCs for commercially viable photovoltaic applications.