Enhancement of ZnO nanorod arrays-based inverted type hybrid organic solar cell using spin-coated Eosin-Y

This paper reports the effect of Eosin-Y coating concentration on the performance of inverted type hybrid organic solar cell based on ZnO nanorod arrays and poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT). The Eosin-Y solution with concentrations of 0.05, 0.2, 2.0 and 5.0 mM was spin-coated onto the ZnO nanorod arrays grown on the fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate. The P3HT film was then spin-coated onto Eosin-Y-coated ZnO nanorod arrays, followed by deposition of silver (Ag) as anode using magnetron sputtering technique. The short circuit current density increased with the Eosin-Y coating concentration up to 0.2 mM, after which it started to decrease, mainly due to the aggregation of Eosin-Y which reduced the charge extraction from P3HT to ZnO. Meanwhile, the open circuit voltage increased with the Eosin-Y coating concentration, indicating reduced back charge recombination of electron on the ZnO and hole on the P3HT, as well as reduced leakage current through the direct contact between the ZnO nanorods and the Ag metal contact. The power conversion efficiency of the device with the optimum coating concentration was approximately eight times higher than that without Eosin-Y modification. (paper)