Application of polymer interlayers in silicon-carbon nanotube heterojunction solar cells

We explore the use of polymers as a conducting interlayer within silicon-carbon nanotube heterojunction photovoltaics. Three types of devices have been fabricated and characterized including silicon-carbon nanotube, silicon-conducting polymer and silicon-conducting polymer-carbon nanotube. The conducting polymers studied were polyaniline, poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate). A thin conducting polymer interlayer significantly improves photovoltaic performance by creating a better depletion layer within the underlying silicon. With the addition of a top antireflection layer, a photovoltaic device, silicon‐poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate)-carbon nanotube-poly(styrene) has been fabricated with a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 8.7 %.Leping Yu, Daniel D. Tune, Cameron J. Shearer, and Joseph G. Shapte