Cesium carbonate as a functional interlayer for polymer photovoltaic devices

The device characteristics of polymer solar cells with cesium carbonate (Cs2CO3) as an electron-injection interlayer have been investigated. It is found that the insertion of Cs2CO3 at the cathode interface improves the device power conversion efficiency from 2.3% to 3.1%. In order to further understand the mechanism, the interfacial interaction between the active organic layer and the cathode was studied by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The results of XPS measurement indicate the fact that a portion of electrons transfer from the interlayer into the organic layer, resulting in n-type doping. The n-doping effect enhances the efficiency of electron injection and collection. Further, the maximum open-circuit voltage (V-oc) was determined from its temperature dependence. For the device with Cs2CO3, the maximum V-oc is extremely close to the corresponding value of the energy difference between the highest occupied molecular orbital of the electron donor and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the electron acceptor, suggesting a better Ohmic contact. All evidences indicated that Cs2CO3 is a promising candidate as an interlayer to improve the device performance. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.