Plasmonic Nanoparticle Enhancement of Solution-Processed Solar Cells: Practical Limits and Opportunities

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• 作者：Ebuka S. Arinze ; Botong Qiu ; Gabrielle Nyirjesy ; Susanna M. Thon
• 刊名：ACS Photonics
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：February 17, 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：3
• 期：2
• 页码：158-173
• 全文大小：934K
• ISSN：2330-4022

文摘

Solution-processed solar cells are particularly suited to benefit from absorption enhancement by plasmonic nanoparticles, due to their transport-limited film thicknesses and the ease with which metal nanoparticles can be integrated into the materials. Despite practical demonstrations of performance enhancements, the overall benefits have so far been limited in scope to photocurrents well below the theoretical limits. In this Perspective, we critically evaluate the prospects for plasmonic enhancements in solution-processed thin-film solar cells. We give an overview of recent work, focusing on embedded plasmonic nanoparticles in organic, perovskite, and colloidal quantum dot solar cells. We then develop an intuitive effective medium model for embedded plasmonic nanostructures in photovoltaic thin films, evaluate the model in the context of previous results in the field, and use the model to provide a framework for identifying the most promising avenues for realizing plasmonic performance enhancements in solution-processed solar cells. Our results indicate that further plasmonic enhancement gains may be possible in organic photovoltaic cells, whereas concentrating on improving transport in perovskite and colloidal quantum dot architectures is a more promising route to performance advances. Additionally, fine-tuning the concentration of plasmonic enhancers within the absorbing medium is critical for achieving maximum photocurrent potential.