Metal grid/conducting polymer hybrid transparent electrode for inverted polymer solar cells

TLDR

The authors fabricated inverted polymer solar cells using a simple metal‑grid/conducting‑polymer hybrid transparent electrode, tuning device performance by adjusting grid width and spacing. This hybrid electrode delivers transparency and sheet resistance comparable to ITO, enabling polymer solar cells with efficiencies up to ~3.2% and offering a low‑cost, large‑area fabrication route.

Abstract

A simple method was developed using metal grid/conducting polymer hybrid transparent electrode to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) for the fabrication of inverted structure polymer solar cells. The performance of the devices could be tuned easily by varying the width and separation of the metal grids. By combining the appropriate metal grid geometry with a thin conductive polymer layer, substrates with comparable transparency and sheet resistance to those of ITO could be achieved. Polymer solar cells fabricated using this hybrid electrode show efficiencies as high as ∼3.2%. This method provides a feasible way for fabricating low-cost, large-area organic solar cells.