ACTIVE LAYER-INCORPORATED, SPECTRALLY-TUNED NANOSTRUCTURE-BASED LIGHT TRAPPING FOR ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES

摘要

Core/shell resonant light absorption and scattering materials and methods incorporated into active layers for increasing the short circuit current and photo conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic systems are provided. In particular, resonant light absorption and scattering methods and materials for improving the efficiency (short circuit current Qsc) and photo conversion efficiency (PCE)) of organic photovoltaic polymer systems (OPV) that include multilayer nano structures having a noble metal core and a passivated and functionalized outer shell disposed with the active layer of the OPV in the form of nanospheres and nanorods have been synthesized, characterized and incorporated into the active layers of OPV devices to enhance light absorption through plasmonic light trapping (PLT). In some embodiments the peak extinction wavelength of the nanoparticles is designed to coincide with the wavelength region of the OPV band edge in order to ensure that light trapping is occurring at wavelengths of poor absorption. In other embodiments, a second shell consisting of an optically active material is deposited onto the nanoparticles, the material being selected such that the extinction peak of the core of the nanoparticles is designed to coincide with the emission peak of the rare earth energy transition in order to increase the spontaneous emission rate at that wavelength by taking advantage of the Purcell effect.

主权项

1. Resonant light absorption and scattering organic photovoltaic materials comprising:
a multilayer nanostructure having a core formed of a noble metal and having a shell disposed thereon having:
a first shell layer disposed atop the core being formed of a passivating material, anda second shell layer disposed atop the first shell layer being formed of an optically active material said first shell layer being or optically active character; wherein the multilayer nanostructure has disposed thereon at least one functional ligand capable of placing the nanostructure into solution with an organic solvent in an active layer of an organic photovoltaic system; wherein the core of the nanostructure exerts a local surface plasmon resonance near field absorption enhancement over the absorption of light by the organic photovoltaic active layer over the wavelength band of the plasmon resonance of the nanostructure core; and wherein the optically active material has optical activity at a wavelength band that overlaps with the peak extinction of the local surface plasmon resonance wavelength band of the nanostructure core.