Scaling-Up of Solution-Processable Tungsten Trioxide (WO 3 ) Nanoparticles as a Hole Transport Layer in Inverted Organic Photovoltaics

Atiq Ur Rahman, Aliah El Astal-Quirós, Gianpaolo Susanna, Hamed Javanbakht, Emanuele Calabrò, Giuseppina Polino, Barbara Paci, Amanda Generosi, Flavia Righi Riva, Francesca Brunetti and Andrea Reale ()
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Atiq Ur Rahman: CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Aliah El Astal-Quirós: CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Gianpaolo Susanna: CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Hamed Javanbakht: CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Emanuele Calabrò: CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Giuseppina Polino: CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Barbara Paci: SpecX-Lab, Istituto di Struttura della Materia C.N.R, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
Amanda Generosi: SpecX-Lab, Istituto di Struttura della Materia C.N.R, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
Flavia Righi Riva: SpecX-Lab, Istituto di Struttura della Materia C.N.R, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
Francesca Brunetti: CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Andrea Reale: CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy) and Department of Electronic Engineering, University Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: We reported the comparative studies of the optimization of solution-processable tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ) as a hole transporting layer (HTL) in inverted organic photovoltaics (OPVs) using spin coating, slot-die coating, and spray coating technologies for scaling-up applications. To facilitate the technology’s transition into commercial manufacturing, it is necessary to explore the role of scalable technologies for low-cost and efficient device fabrication. We investigated the role of diluting WO 3 with isopropanol as an HTL in inverted OPVs to solve the issue of poor wettability of the hydrophobic surface of the PBDB-T: ITIC bulk heterojunction layer. The optimal dilution ratios of WO 3 with isopropanol were 1:4, 1:4 and 1:8 with spin coating, slot-die coating and spray coating techniques, respectively. We evaluated the device performance by conducting a current density–voltage (J-V) analysis, incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements, and ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) absorbance spectra for various WO 3 concentrations. The J-V characteristics revealed that slot-die coating resulted in the highest performance, followed by the spray coating technology. We further investigated the impact of the annealing temperature on device performance for both slot-die- and spray-coated diluted WO 3 . The highest device performance was achieved at an annealing temperature of 120 °C for both coating technologies. This research offers valuable insights into the scalable fabrication of inverted OPV devices, paving the way for cost-effective and efficient large-scale production.

Keywords: inverted polymer solar cells; hole transport layer; wettability issue of BHJ; tungsten tri-oxide; slot-die coating; spray coating; stability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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