Modeling and optimization of organic tandem photovoltaic solar cells using silver nanowires as electrode and interconnecting layer

Abstract

Much research has been conducted to improve the performance of photovoltaic solar cells. Transparent conductive film and interconnection layers have a significant impact on the performance of photovoltaic cells. In this work, we analyze the experimental results obtained on tandem organic photovoltaic solar cells with simple inverted structures using silver nanowires AgNW as transparent conductive electrode (TE) and as interconnection layer (ICL) between PEDOT: PSS and ZnO. This type of contact leads to a strong ohmic contact in both sub-cells having P3HT: ICBA as the lower active layer and having PTB7: PC71BM (1: 1.5) as the upper active layer with a good complement of the absorption spectrum. To study the advantages of using AgNWs as an interconnection layer (PEDOT: PSS/AgNWs/ZnO) in tandem photovoltaic solar cells and as an anode and its impact on the performance of these organic cells, we have simulated the electrical characteristics obtained by these tandem organic photovoltaic cells using an equivalent circuit model. This model is based on a single diode model with five photovoltaic parameters. We therefore extracted all the physical parameters of the illuminated photovoltaic cell from its experimental characteristics (J–V), such as the diode saturation current density (J0), the series and shunt resistors (RS, RSh), the ideality factor (n) and the photogenerated current density (JPh). For this we have solved the analytical equations of the current density using Newton Raphson's method. The equations are derived from the single diode equivalent circuit proposed to simulate the measured current density as a function of the voltage of the manufactured tandem type organic solar cells. A good agreement was obtained between the theoretical model and the experimental electrical characteristics. This confirms that the use of AgNWs between PEDOT: PSS and ZnO as an interconnection layer in reverse geometry of these tandem devices, has improved the efficiency (PCE = 9.24%) and is proving to be an efficient recombination layer for tandem organic photovoltaic solar cells.