Pacific Rim Symposium on Surfaces, Coatings and Interfaces (PacSurf 2018)
    Nanomaterials Wednesday Sessions
       Session NM-WeP

Paper NM-WeP2
Photovoltaic Performance of Organic Polymer Solar Cells using Silicon Nanoparticles with Various Phosphorus Contents

Wednesday, December 5, 2018, 4:00 pm, Room Naupaka Salon 1-3

Session: Nanomaterials Poster Session II
Presenter: Naoki Ikeda, Tokyo Denki University, Japan
Authors: N. Ikeda, Tokyo Denki University, Japan
K. Sato, Tokyo Denki University, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) are used for solar cell applications because they not only enhance light absorption efficiency of the photoelectric conversion layer but also expand the absorption bands of sunlight. We have fabricated the phosphorus (P)-doped SiNPs using an electroless chemical etching, which is inexpensive and simple techniques. When the P powders was used as n-type dopant, it was difficult to uniformly incorporate the P atoms in the SiNP core. To overcome this challenge, we performed the P doping into SiNPs using P dispersed solvent. In this presentation, we report the photovoltaic performance of the organic polymer solar cells using SiNPs with various P contents. The P-doped SiNPs were fabricated by etching the Si powders with a diameter of 100 nm in a hydrofluoric acid/nitric acid mixture solution using high-speed mixer and by thermally diffusing the P atoms at high temperature. The P contents in the SiNPs were controlled by varying the annealing temperature. The solar cells were prepared by individually coating the P-doped SiNPs and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) on the micro-pyramidal structured Si substrate. The current density-voltage characteristics of undoped SiNPs/PEDOT:PSS solar cells and the P-doped SiNPs/PEDOT:PSS solar cells were shown in Figure 1. The solar cell using undoped SiNPs showed a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.81% with a short circuit current density (Jsc) of 27.7 mA/cm2, an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.361 V and a fill factor (FF) of 0.482. On the other hand, these cell parameters dramatically increased by doping the P atoms into SiNPs; that is, the values of Jsc, Voc, FF and PCE were 29.7 mA/cm2, 0.349 V, 0.560 and 5.79%. These results are attributable to the uniform incorporation of P atoms into SiNPs by the use of the P dispersed solvent and the improvement of transport efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers between the SiNPs.