Long-term stable polymer solar cells with significantly reduced burn-in loss

Jaemin Kong, Suhee Song, Minji Yoo, Ga Young Lee, Obum Kwon, Jin Kuen Park, Hyungcheol Back, Geunjin Kim, Seoung Ho Lee, Hongsuk Suh and Kwanghee Lee ()
Additional contact information
Jaemin Kong: Heeger Center for Advanced Materials (HCAM), and Research Institute for Solar & Sustainable Energies (RISE), Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology
Suhee Song: Pusan National University
Minji Yoo: Heeger Center for Advanced Materials (HCAM), and Research Institute for Solar & Sustainable Energies (RISE), Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology
Ga Young Lee: Heeger Center for Advanced Materials (HCAM), and Research Institute for Solar & Sustainable Energies (RISE), Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology
Obum Kwon: Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, University of California
Jin Kuen Park: Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Hyungcheol Back: School of Materials Science & Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology
Geunjin Kim: School of Materials Science & Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology
Seoung Ho Lee: Heeger Center for Advanced Materials (HCAM), and Research Institute for Solar & Sustainable Energies (RISE), Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology
Hongsuk Suh: Pusan National University
Kwanghee Lee: Heeger Center for Advanced Materials (HCAM), and Research Institute for Solar & Sustainable Energies (RISE), Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract The inferior long-term stability of polymer-based solar cells needs to be overcome for their commercialization to be viable. In particular, an abrupt decrease in performance during initial device operation, the so-called ‘burn-in’ loss, has been a major contributor to the short lifetime of polymer solar cells, fundamentally impeding polymer-based photovoltaic technology. In this study, we demonstrate polymer solar cells with significantly improved lifetime, in which an initial burn-in loss is substantially reduced. By isolating trap-embedded components from pristine photoactive polymers based on the unimodality of molecular weight distributions, we are able to selectively extract a trap-free, high-molecular-weight component. The resulting polymer component exhibits enhanced power conversion efficiency and long-term stability without abrupt initial burn-in degradation. Our discovery suggests a promising possibility for commercial viability of polymer-based photovoltaics towards real solar cell applications.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6688

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