Current Photovoltaic Research

Korea Photovoltaic Society (한국태양광발전학회)
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Long-Term Shelf Lifetime of Polymer:Nonfullerene Solar Cells Stored under Dark and Indoor Light Environment

  • Lee, Sooyong (Organic Nanoelectronics Laboratory and KNU Institute for Nanophotonics Applications (KINPA), Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Kim, Hwajeong (Organic Nanoelectronics Laboratory and KNU Institute for Nanophotonics Applications (KINPA), Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Kim, Youngkyoo (Organic Nanoelectronics Laboratory and KNU Institute for Nanophotonics Applications (KINPA), Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2020.09.09
  • Accepted : 2020.09.18
  • Published : 2020.12.31
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Abstract

Here we report the long-term stability of polymer:nonfullerene solar cells which were stored under dark and indoor light condition. The polymer:nonfullerene solar cells were fabricated using bulk heterojunction (BHJ) layers of poly[(2,6-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl) thiophen-2-yl)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene))-alt-(5,5-(1',3'-di-2-thienyl-5',7-bis(2-ethylhexyl)benzo[1',2'-c:4',5'-c']dithiophene-4,8-dione))] (PBDB-T) and 3,9-bis(6-methyl-2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2',3-d']-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene (IT-M). To investigate their long-term stability, the PBDB-T:IT-M solar cells were stored in an argon-filled glove box. One set of the fabricated solar cells was completely covered with an aluminum foil to prevent any effect of light, whereas another set was exposed to indoor light. The solar cells were subjected to a regular performance measurement for 40 weeks. Results revealed that the PBDB-T:IT-M solar cells underwent a gradual decay in performance irrespective of the storage condition. However, the PBDB-T:IT-M solar cells stored under indoor light condition exhibited relatively lower power conversion efficiency (PCE) than those stored under the dark. The inferior stability of the solar cells under indoor light was explained by the noticeably changed optical absorption spectra and dark spot generation, indicative of degradations in the BHJ layers.

Keywords

References

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