DOCSLIB.ORG

Nanostructured Electrodes and Their Use in Organic Solar Cells

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Nanostructured Electrodes and Their Use in Organic Solar Cells Nanostructured Electrodes and Their Use in Organic Solar Cells Master Thesis Reza Abolhassani Mads Clausen Institute University of Southern Denmark Supervisors: Associate Professor Morten Madsen Associate Professor Jost Adam November 2015 Master Thesis- Reza Abolhassani MCI, University of Southern Denmark Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors, Morten Madsen and Jost Adam, for giving me the chance to work on this project, and for their continuous support and guidance throughout my work. I have learned so much from them and it is my honor to be their student. I would also like to thank PhD students: Mina Mirsafaei, André Luis Fernandez Cauduro, Arkadiusz Jaroslaw Goszczak, and Mehrad Ahmadpour. They were not only good mentors that gave me their valuable experiences and provided me information, but also good friends that motivated me to finish the project as good as possible for me. Last but not least, I wish to thank my family for their borderless love, supports, and encouragement. They will be in my heart forever. 1 Master Thesis- Reza Abolhassani MCI, University of Southern Denmark Abstract Energy demands have increased dramatically in last decades and predicted to increase by three times in 2050. Fossil fuels are the main reasons for environmental degradation, acid rain, ozone depletion, forest destruction, and global climate change. Therefore, renewable sources of energy have attracted attention from industries and scientists. One of these renewable energy sources is solar power. Solar cells convert sun light directly to the electricity. However organic solar cells power conversion efficiency is rather low in comparison with conventional solar cells, it is an interesting topic for researchers due to their flexibility and lightweight, low cost materials and manufacturing, and simple fabrication process. In this research, light-trapping structures in OSC electrodes, and their effect on light absorption profile is studied. The project divided into two main parts: modeling and experiments. Modeling is a good tool to study devices optical properties which experimentally are time and cost consuming. OSCs were simulated using finite element method by COMSOL Multiphysics 5. Different device configurations were studied and the effects of pitch and height dimensions on light absorption profile were investigated. In the experimental part, wrinkled PDMS substrates used as stamps for imprinting and transferring structures onto the electrodes. Then optical properties of fabricated devices were characterized and light absorption enhancement in respect to planar device was studied. Finally, three different configurations were characterized for OSC parameters under 1 sun illumination by solar simulator. 2 Master Thesis- Reza Abolhassani MCI, University of Southern Denmark Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 0 Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ 5 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. 9 List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................................................... 10 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 11 1.1. Project Background ..................................................................................................................... 11 1.2. Project Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 12 1.3. Outline......................................................................................................................................... 13 2. Theory ..................................................................................................................................................... 15 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 15 2.2. Light Absorption in Thin-Films .................................................................................................... 16 2.3. Photovoltaic Effect ...................................................................................................................... 19 2.4. Basics of Solar Cell Operation ..................................................................................................... 20 2.5. Organic Solar Cells....................................................................................................................... 22 2.5.1. Organic Semiconductors ..................................................................................................... 22 2.5.2. Principles of Organic Solar Cells Operation .............................................................................. 23 2.5.3. Organic Solar Cells Structure............................................................................................... 24 2.5.4. Organic Solar Cell Characterization ........................................................................................... 27 2.5.5. Prospects and Challenges ......................................................................................................... 30 3. Simulation ............................................................................................................................................... 31 3.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 31 3.2. Simulation Methods ......................................................................................................................... 31 3.3. Comsol Multiphysics ........................................................................................................................ 33 3.3.1. Wave Optics Module; Theories and Principles ......................................................................... 33 3.4. Simulation Setup .............................................................................................................................. 35 4. Experimental ........................................................................................................................................... 38 4.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 38 4.2. Stamp Fabrication for Nano-imprinting ........................................................................................... 38 3 Master Thesis- Reza Abolhassani MCI, University of Southern Denmark 4.3. Fabrication Methods and Equipment .............................................................................................. 43 4.3.1. Sample Preparation................................................................................................................... 43 4.3.2. Nano-Imprinting ........................................................................................................................ 43 4.3.3. Metal Deposition ...................................................................................................................... 46 4.3.4. Organic Material Deposition ..................................................................................................... 48 4.4. Measurements and Characterization .............................................................................................. 50 4.4.1. Surface Characterization; Atomic Force Microscope ................................................................ 50 4.4.2. Absorption Measurement; Optical Microscope ....................................................................... 51 5. Results and Discussions........................................................................................................................... 52 5.1. PDMS Stamps ................................................................................................................................... 52 5.2. Simulation Results ............................................................................................................................ 56 5.3. Light Absorption in Organic Solar Cells ............................................................................................ 62 5.4. Organic Solar Cells Parameters ........................................................................................................ 67 6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 71 7. Outlook.................................................................................................................................................... 73 8. Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................ 75 9. Appendices
Load more

Recommended publications
  • I OPTIMIZATION of ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS a DISSERTATION
    OPTIMIZATION OF ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND THE COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Seung Bum Rim March 2010 i © 2010 by Seung Bum Rim. All Rights Reserved. Re-distributed by Stanford University under license with the author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/ This dissertation is online at: http://purl.stanford.edu/yx656fs6181 ii I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Peter Peumans, Primary Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Michael McGehee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Philip Wong Approved for the Stanford University Committee on Graduate Studies. Patricia J. Gumport, Vice Provost Graduate Education This signature page was generated electronically upon submission of this dissertation in electronic format. An original signed hard copy of the signature page is on file in University Archives. iii Abstract Organic solar cell is a promising technology because the versatility of organic materials in terms of the tunability of their electrical and optical properties and because of their relative insensitivity to film imperfections which potentially allows for very low-cost high-throughput roll-to-roll processing.
    [Show full text]
  • The Photoelectric Effect in Photocells Suggested Level: High School Physics Or Chemistry Classes
    The Photoelectric Effect in Photocells Suggested Level: High School Physics or Chemistry Classes LEARNING OUTCOME After engaging in background reading on electromagnetic energy and exploring the frequencies of various colors of light, students realize that it is useful to think of light waves as streams of particles called quanta, and understand that the energy of each quantum depends on its frequency. LESSON OVERVIEW This lesson introduces students to the photoelectric effect (the basic physical phenomenon underlying the operation of photovoltaic cells) and the role of quanta of various frequencies of electromagnetic energy in producing it. The inadequacy of the wave theory of light in explaining photovoltaic effects is explored, as is the ionization energies for elements in the third row of the periodic table. MATERIALS • Student handout • Roll of masking tape • Ball of yarn • Scrap paper SAFETY • There are no safety precautions for this lesson. TEACHING THE LESSON Begin by explaining the structure and operation of photovoltaic cells, covering the information in the student handout and drawing from the background information below. Stake off an area of the classroom in which about two-thirds of your students can stand. It could, for example, be bounded by tape on the floor. This area is to represent a photovoltaic cell. Have half of your students form a line dividing the area in half. They represent the electrons lined up on the p-side of the p-n junction. Stretch yarn from the n-type semiconductor to one student chosen to represent a light bulb and from that student to the p-type semiconductor.
    [Show full text]
  • National Survey Report of PV Power Applications in Sweden 2015
    National Survey Report of PV Power Applications in Sweden 2015 Prepared by Johan Lindahl Table of contents Table of contents .................................................................................................................. 1 Foreword ............................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4 1 Installation data .................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Applications for Photovoltaics ................................................................................. 5 1.2 Total photovoltaic power installed .......................................................................... 5 1.2.1 Method ........................................................................................................ 5 1.2.2 The Swedish PV market ............................................................................... 5 1.2.3 Swedish PV market segments ..................................................................... 9 1.2.4 The geographical distribution of PV in Sweden .......................................... 10 1.2.5 PV in the broader Swedish energy market .................................................. 12 2 Competitiveness of PV electricity ......................................................................................... 13 2.1 Module
    [Show full text]
  • Solar PV Technology Development Report 2020
    EUR 30504 EN This publication is a Technical report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of this publication. For information on the methodology and quality underlying the data used in this publication for which the source is neither Eurostat nor other Commission services, users should contact the referenced source. The designations employed and the presentation of material on the maps do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the European Union concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Contact information Name: Nigel TAYLOR Address: European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy Email: [email protected] Name: Maria GETSIOU Address: European Commission DG Research and Innovation, Brussels, Belgium Email: [email protected] EU Science Hub https://ec.europa.eu/jrc JRC123157 EUR 30504 EN ISSN 2600-0466 PDF ISBN 978-92-76-27274-8 doi:10.2760/827685 ISSN 1831-9424 (online collection) ISSN 2600-0458 Print ISBN 978-92-76-27275-5 doi:10.2760/215293 ISSN 1018-5593 (print collection) Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2020 © European Union, 2020 The reuse policy of the European Commission is implemented by the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU of 12 December 2011 on the reuse of Commission documents (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Photovoltaic Technology WGJHM Van Sark, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
    1.02 Introduction to Photovoltaic Technology WGJHM van Sark, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. 1.02.1 Introduction 5 1.02.2 Guide to the Reader 6 1.02.2.1 Quick Guide 6 1.02.2.2 Detailed Guide 7 1.02.2.2.1 Part 1: Introduction 7 1.02.2.2.2 Part 2: Economics and environment 7 1.02.2.2.3 Part 3: Resource and potential 8 1.02.2.2.4 Part 4: Basics of PV 8 1.02.2.2.5 Part 5: Technology 8 1.02.2.2.6 Part 6: Applications 10 1.02.3 Conclusion 11 References 11 Glossary Photovoltaic system A number of PV modules combined Balance of system All components of a PV energy system in a system in arrays, ranging from a few watts capacity to except the photovoltaics (PV) modules. multimegawatts capacity. Grid parity The situation when the electricity generation Photovoltaic technology generations PV technologies cost of solar PV in dollar or Euro per kilowatt-hour equals can be classified as first-, second-, and third-generation the price a consumer is charged by the utility for power technologies. First-generation technologies are from the grid. Note, grid parity for retail markets is commercially available silicon wafer-based technologies, different from wholesale electricity markets. second-generation technologies are commercially Inverter Electronic device that converts direct electricity to available thin-film technologies, and third-generation alternating current electricity. technologies are those based on new concepts and Photovoltaic energy system A combination of a PV materials that are not (yet) commercialized.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Solar
    Solar technology isn’t new. Its history spans from the 7th Century B.C. to today. We started out concentrating the sun’s heat with glass and mirrors to light fires. Today, we have everything from solar-powered buildings to solar- powered vehicles. Here you can learn more about the milestones in the Byron Stafford, historical development of solar technology, century by NREL / PIX10730 Byron Stafford, century, and year by year. You can also glimpse the future. NREL / PIX05370 This timeline lists the milestones in the historical development of solar technology from the 7th Century B.C. to the 1200s A.D. 7th Century B.C. Magnifying glass used to concentrate sun’s rays to make fire and to burn ants. 3rd Century B.C. Courtesy of Greeks and Romans use burning mirrors to light torches for religious purposes. New Vision Technologies, Inc./ Images ©2000 NVTech.com 2nd Century B.C. As early as 212 BC, the Greek scientist, Archimedes, used the reflective properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and to set fire to wooden ships from the Roman Empire which were besieging Syracuse. (Although no proof of such a feat exists, the Greek navy recreated the experiment in 1973 and successfully set fire to a wooden boat at a distance of 50 meters.) 20 A.D. Chinese document use of burning mirrors to light torches for religious purposes. 1st to 4th Century A.D. The famous Roman bathhouses in the first to fourth centuries A.D. had large south facing windows to let in the sun’s warmth.
    [Show full text]
  • Organic Tandem Solar Cells: Design and Formation
    UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Organic Tandem Solar Cells: Design and Formation Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5s129177 Author Chen, Chun-Chao Publication Date 2015 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Organic Tandem Solar Cells: Design and Formation A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering by Chun-Chao Chen 2015 © Copyright by Chun-Chao Chen 2015 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Organic Tandem Solar Cells: Design and Formation by Chun-Chao Chen Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering University of California, Los Angeles, 2015 Professor Yang Yang, Chair In the past decade, research on organic solar cells has gone through an important development stage leading to major enhancements in power conversion efficiency, from 4% to 9% in single-junction devices. During this period, there are many novel processing techniques and device designs that have been proposed and adapted in organic solar-cell devices. One well- known device architecture that helps maximize the solar cell efficiency is the multi-junction tandem solar-cell design. Given this design, multiple photoactive absorbers as subcells are stacked in a monolithic fashion and assembled via series connection into one complete device, known as the tandem solar cell. Since multiple absorbers with different optical energy bandgaps are being applied in one tandem solar-cell device, the corresponding solar cell efficiency is maximized through expanded absorption spectrum and reduced carrier thermalization loss. ii In Chapter 3, the architecture of solution-processible, visibly transparent solar cells is introduced.
    [Show full text]
  • Polymeric Materials for Conversion of Electromagnetic Waves from the Sun to Electric Power
    polymers Review Polymeric Materials for Conversion of Electromagnetic Waves from the Sun to Electric Power SK Manirul Haque 1, Jorge Alfredo Ardila-Rey 2, Yunusa Umar 1 ID , Habibur Rahman 3, Abdullahi Abubakar Mas’ud 4,*, Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki 5 ID and Ricardo Albarracín 6 ID 1 Department of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology, Jubail Industrial College, P.O. Box 10099, Jubail 31961, Saudi Arabia; [email protected] (S.M.H.); [email protected] (Y.U.) 2 Department of Electrical Engineering, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Santiago de Chile 8940000, Chile; [email protected] 3 Department of General Studies, Jubail Industrial College, P.O. Box 10099, Jubail 31961, Saudi Arabia; [email protected] 4 Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Jubail Industrial College, P.O. Box 10099, Jubail 319261, Saudi Arabia 5 School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen AB10 7QB, Scotland, UK; [email protected] 6 Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica, Automática y Física Aplicada, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería y Diseño Industrial, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ronda de Valencia 3, 28012 Madrid, Spain; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +966-53-813-8814 Received: 10 February 2018; Accepted: 6 March 2018; Published: 12 March 2018 Abstract: Solar photoelectric energy converted into electricity requires large surface areas with incident light and flexible materials to capture these light emissions. Currently, sunlight rays are converted to electrical energy using silicon polymeric material with efficiency up to 22%. The majority of the energy is lost during conversion due to an energy gap between sunlight photons and polymer energy transformation.
    [Show full text]
  • An Efficient Descriptor Model for Designing Materials for Solar Cells
    www.nature.com/npjcompumats All rights reserved 2057-3960/15 ARTICLE OPEN An efficient descriptor model for designing materials for solar cells Fahhad H Alharbi1,2, Sergey N Rashkeev2, Fedwa El-Mellouhi2, Hans P Lüthi3, Nouar Tabet1,2 and Sabre Kais1,2 An efficient descriptor model for fast screening of potential materials for solar cell applications is presented. It works for both excitonic and non-excitonic solar cells materials, and in addition to the energy gap it includes the absorption spectrum (α(E)) of the material. The charge transport properties of the explored materials are modelled using the characteristic diffusion length (Ld) determined for the respective family of compounds. The presented model surpasses the widely used Scharber model developed for bulk heterojunction solar cells. Using published experimental data, we show that the presented model is more accurate in predicting the achievable efficiencies. To model both excitonic and non-excitonic systems, two different sets of parameters are used to account for the different modes of operation. The analysis of the presented descriptor model clearly shows the benefitof including α(E) and Ld in view of improved screening results. npj Computational Materials (2015) 1, 15003; doi:10.1038/npjcompumats.2015.3; published online 25 November 2015 INTRODUCTION open-circuit voltage (Voc) is assumed to be a fixed reduction of Eg There has been a remarkable thrust towards developing cost- defined (by the Scharber model) as the difference between the effective photovoltaics in the past two decades.1–5 Different highest occupied molecular orbital of the donor and the lowest materials and device concepts have been deployed and the unoccupied molecular orbital of the acceptor.
    [Show full text]
  • Determination of the Main Parameters of the Photovoltaic Solar Module
    E3S Web of Conferences 191, 01004 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202019101004 REEE 2020 Determination of the main parameters of the photovoltaic solar module Baydaulet A.Urmashev1, Murat Kunelbayev2*, Almas N.Temirbekov3, Syrym Kassenov4, Zhadra Zhaksylykova5, Farida Amenova6 1,3Department of Computer Science, Kazakh National University named after al-Farabi, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 2Institute Information and Computational Technologies CS MES RK, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 4Faculty of Mechanical Mathematics, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan 5Abay Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 6S. Amanzholov East Kazakhstan State University, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Technology Ust-Kamenogorsk, Republic of Kazakhstan Abstract. This article deals with the determination of the main operating parameters of a photovoltaic solar module. In laboratory tests, the study of the dependence of current, voltage and power on time and density of solar radiation, as well as monitoring of environmental parameters: temperature and humidity of the outside air. Analysis of the test results shows that a photoelectric module with an installed capacity of 800 W and a total battery capacity of 800 Ah provides the electric power industry with a daily consumption of 2.0 ... 2.2 kWh. The discharge time of the battery varies from 11.7 to 3.5 hours when the average electric load of the consumer changes from 300 to 1000 watts. homogeneous structure. The basis for the formation of cells that are suitable silicon-sized blocks. 1 Introduction They are cut into plates whose thickness is Solar cells in the production of electricity from about 0.3 mm.
    [Show full text]
  • WO 2018/222569 Al 06 December 2018 (06.12.2018) W !P O PCT
    (12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (10) International Publication Number (43) International Publication Date WO 2018/222569 Al 06 December 2018 (06.12.2018) W !P O PCT (51) International Patent Classification: KR, KW, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, C01B 3/00 (2006.01) MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PA, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, RW, SA, (21) International Application Number: SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY,TH, TJ, TM, TN, PCT/US20 18/034842 TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW. (22) International Filing Date: (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every 29 May 2018 (29.05.2018) kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, (25) Filing Language: English GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, RW, SD, SL, ST, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, RU, TJ, (26) Publication Langi English TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, (30) Priority Data: EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV, 62/5 13,284 31 May 2017 (3 1.05.2017) US MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, 62/5 13,324 31 May 2017 (3 1.05.2017) US TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW, 62/524,307 23 June 2017 (23.06.2017) US KM, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG).
    [Show full text]
  • DSSC) Lecture for ENG 230
    Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) Lecture for ENG 230 May be 50 minutes of 3 hr lab.- would follow 30 minutes of cell assembly INTRODUCTION Economics Solar cells absorb some of the photons from sunlight and convert it to a useable amount of direct current electricity. The costs of solar power have been declining steadily and eventually will be competitive with traditional dirty sources of power which are currently contributing to climate change. The solar power falling on about one square mile is around 3 gigawatts, so a 30% efficient cell would produce 1 gigawatt per sq mile, the same as a nuclear plant. The cost of solar is not just in the cells but in the structure to hold the cells in all weathers, and in some cases to orient the cells to the sun. However, the cell cost is significant, and the DSSC combines the natural photovoltaic effect of pigments with nanotechnology to make it competitive with the silicon cells which are in production. The Photovoltaic Effect The photovoltaic effect is the creation of voltage in a material upon exposure to light. Though the photovoltaic effect is directly related to the photoelectric effect, they are different processes. In the photoelectric effect, electrons are ejected from a material's surface upon exposure to radiation. The photovoltaic effect differs in that electrons are transferred between different bands (i.e., from the valence to conduction bands) within the material, resulting in the buildup of voltage between two electrodes. Illuminating the material creates an electric current as excited electrons and the remaining holes are swept in different directions by the built-in electric field of the depletion region.
    [Show full text]