Boosting charge collection efficiency via large-area free-standing Ag/ZnO core-shell nanowire array electrodes

Publication date: Available online 23 April 2019Source: Progress in Natural Science: Materials InternationalAuthor(s): Yuyi Feng, Paul Kim, Clayton A. Nemitz, Kwang-Dae Kim, Yoonseok Park, Karl Leo, James Dorman, Jonas Weickert, Yongtian Wang, Lukas Schmidt-MendeAbstractHybrid nanostructures, comprising of a metal core and a semiconductor shell layer, show great potential for a new generation of low-cost solar cells due to their unique electronic and optical properties. However, experimental results have fallen far short of the ultra-high efficiency (i.e. beyond Shockley-Queisser limit) predicted by theoretical simulations. This limits the commercial application of these materials. Here, a non-transparent organic solar cell with an array of Ag/ZnO nanowires has been experimentally fabricated to increase the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) by a factor of 2.5 compared to a planar counterpart. This result indicates a significant enhancement of charge collection efficiency due to the ultrafast Ag nanowire channels. This hybrid nanostructure can also serve as a perfect back reflector for semi-transparent solar cells, which can result in enhanced light absorption by a factor of 1.8 compared to the reference samples. The enhanced charge collection and light absorption can make these Ag/ZnO nanostructures available for the application of modern optoelectronic devices.Graphical abstract
Source: Progress in Natural Science: Materials International - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research