Phychem Journal

The Open Physical Chemistry Journal, 2010, 4, 1-3

1

Open Access

Polymer Solar Cells with Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Composite HoleCollecting Buffer Layers

Inhyuk Lee1, Seungsoo Lee1, Hwajeong Kim1, Hyunjeong Lee2 and Youngkyoo Kim*,1

1

Organic Nanoelectronics Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu

702-701, Republic of Korea

2

Hybrid Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 136-791, Republic of

Korea

Abstract: We report the performance of polythiophene/fullerene solar cells with a hole-collecting buffer layer that was

made using composite films of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (f-MWCNT) and poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiphene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). The MWCNT was functionalized with carboxyl groups to

bestow solubility in a weak base solvent for mixing with PEDOT:PSS. Results showed that the optical transmittance of

the PEDOT:PSS/f-MWCNT composite layer coated substrate sample was slightly improved in some parts of visible and

infrared regions. The polymer solar cells with the PEDOT:PSS/f-MWCNT buffer layer exhibited improved short circuit

current density but other parameters became poorer than those of control device.

Keywords: Polymer solar cells, polythiophene, buffer layer, functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube.

Polymer solar cells have been extensively studied because of their great expectations for cheap energy conversion

of solar light to electricity [1-3]. Compared to all-small molecule based solar cells, polymer solar cells have advantages

in terms of low-cost large area production and better flexibility (reliability under mechanical stress). In a broad sense,

the final goal of polymer solar cells can be flexible and semitransparent “plastic” solar cells which can be easily attachable to windows in buildings, leading to next generation ultraslim building integrated photovoltaics (US-BIPV) [4]. In

order to realize...