Performance Enhancement of Organic Solar Cells via Modification of the PAni-TiO2 Interface with Hydrogen Plasma Treatment

The performance of polyaniline (PAni)-based photoactive layers, which are one of the cheapest materials utilised in the fabrication of organic solar cells, is still being researched. An ITO/(PAni-TiO2)/Au combination was used to make polymer solar cells. The photoactive layers (PAni-TiO2) were treated with a hydrogen-plasma discharge for short periods of time to improve the efficiency of the synthesised solar cells (0, 3, and 5 minutes). Prepared samples and plasma-treated nanocomposite layers were analysed and discussed in terms of shape, microstructure, and optical characteristics. The performance of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) cell samples was thoroughly investigated before and after plasma treatment. The absorbance and optical band gap energy of the PAni-TiO2 photoactive films increased when they were treated. The efficiency climbed to 0.7 percent after 5 minutes of hydrogen plasma processing, compared to 0.36 percent for the pristine cell. A structural change was accompanied by a quick increase in surface roughness, which resulted in a reduction in reflected photons and, as a result, a rise in produced charge carriers.

Author(S) Details

M. Abdelhamid Shahat
PV Unit, Solar and Space Research Department, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Helwan, Cairo, Egypt.

Ahmed Ghitas
PV Unit, Solar and Space Research Department, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Helwan, Cairo, Egypt.

F. M. El-Hossary
Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.

A. M. Abd El-Rahman
Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt and King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA.

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