Plasmonic effect of spray-deposited Au nanoparticles on the performance of inverted organic solar cells

Gold nanoparticles with varying sizes were prepared by the spray process under an electric field (DC voltages of 0 V and 1 kV applied to the nozzle) for studying their role in inverted organic solar cells (ITO/Au/ZnO/P3HT:PCBM/Ag). The application of electric field during the spray process resulted in a smaller size (35 nm as compared to 70 nm without the electric field) of the nanoparticles with more uniform distribution. This gave rise to a difference in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect created by the gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), which then affected the solar cell performance. The photovoltaic performances of plasmonic inverted organic solar cells (ITO/Au/ZnO/P3HT:PCBM/Ag) using spray-deposited Au and ZnO layers (both at 1 kV) showed improved efficiency. Fast exciton quenching in the P3HT:PCBM layer was achieved by using a spray-deposited Au layer in between ITO and ZnO layers. The absorption spectra and internal power conversion efficiency (IPCE) curve showed that the Au nanoparticles provide significant plasmonic broadband light absorption enhancement which resulted in the enhancement of the J_SC value. Maximum efficiency of 3.6% was achieved for the inverted organic solar cell (IOSC) with an exceptionally high short circuit current density of ∼15 mA cm^-2 which is due to the additional photon absorption and the corresponding increase observed in the IPCE spectrum. The spray technique can be easily applied for the direct formation of Au nanoparticles in the fabrication of IOSC with improved performance over a large area.