Efficient Tandem Polymer Solar Cells Fabricated by All-Solution Processing

Tandem solar cells, in which two solar cells with different absorption characteristics are linked to use a wider range of the solar spectrum, were fabricated with each layer processed from solution with the use of bulk heterojunction materials comprising semiconducting polymers and fullerene derivatives. A transparent titanium oxide (TiO x ) layer separates and connects the front cell and the back cell. The TiO x layer serves as an electron transport and collecting layer for the first cell and as a stable foundation that enables the fabrication of the second cell to complete the tandem cell architecture. We use an inverted structure with the low band-gap polymer-fullerene composite as the charge-separating layer in the front cell and the high band-gap polymer composite as that in the back cell. Power-conversion efficiencies of more than 6% were achieved at illuminations of 200 milliwatts per square centimeter.