In Situ Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles in Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): Poly(styrenesulfonate) and Application to Hybrid Solar Cells

Abstract

We have studied the effect of embedding gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) on the performance of hybrid solar cells (HSCs) with Ag/PEDOT: PSS/n-type Si/Al structure. The composite PEDOT: PSS-AuNPs solutions were prepared by a simple in situ method, and showed the characteristic absorption peak due to surface plasmonic resonance effects. An HSC device prepared using the PEDOT: PSS-AuNPs composite showed power conversion efficiency of 11.19%, approximately 19% higher than that of a control device without AuNPs (9.42%). The enhanced performance of the HSC with embedded AuNPs is not due to the plasmonic effect, but to the lower series resistance of the device and the higher roughness of the PEDOT: PSS surface, which promotes a more efficient charge collection and therefore contributes to increasing the fill factor.