Application of Polymer Interlayers in Silicon–Carbon Nanotube Heterojunction Solar Cells

LePing Yu, Daniel Tune, Cameron Shearer, Joseph Shapter

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    24 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    We explore the use of polymers as a conducting interlayer within silicon–carbon nanotube heterojunction photovoltaics. Three types of devices have been fabricated and characterized including silicon–carbon nanotube, silicon–conducting polymer and silicon–conducting polymer–carbon nanotube. The conducting polymers studied were polyaniline, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate). A thin conducting polymer interlayer significantly improves photovoltaic performance by creating a better depletion layer within the underlying silicon. With the addition of a top antireflection layer, a photovoltaic device, silicon-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate)–carbon nanotube–poly(styrene) has been fabricated with a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 8.7 %.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)115-121
    Number of pages7
    JournalChemNanoMat
    Volume1
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jun 2015

    Keywords

    • carbon nanotubes
    • conducting polymers
    • photovoltaics
    • silicon
    • solar cells

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