JP2007115849A - Laminated organic solar cell - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laminated organic solar cell which can be manufactured at a high energy conversion efficiency and at a low cost. <P>SOLUTION: The laminated organic solar cell comprises a first photoelectrical conversion layer 2 provided between a first electrode 1 and a second electrode 3, and a second photoelectrical conversion layer 4 provided between the second electrode 3 and a third electrode 5. Work functions of the first to third electrodes 1, 3, 5 are set in such a decreasing order as the first electrode 1, the second electrode 3, and the third electrode 5. From the relationship of the work functions of the electrodes 1, 3, 5; an internal electric field is caused in the first photoelectrical conversion layer 2 or the second photoelectrical conversion layer 4, a charge separation efficiency and a charge transport efficiency are enhanced, and an overall energy conversion efficiency is enhanced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a stacked organic solar cell formed by stacking a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers that generate light by receiving light.

  In recent years, the amount of energy used has dramatically increased with the development of industry. In this situation, development of economical and high-performance new clean energy production technology that does not put a burden on the global environment is required. In particular, solar cells are attracting attention as a new energy source because they use sunlight, which can be said to be infinite. Most of the solar cells currently in practical use are inorganic solar cells using single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, or amorphous silicon. However, these inorganic silicon solar cells have the disadvantages that the manufacturing process is complicated and expensive, so that they have not been widely used for general households. In order to eliminate such drawbacks, research on organic solar cells using organic materials that can be reduced in cost and area by a simple process has become active.

  Organic solar cells that have been studied in the past have a Schottky junction (JHSchon, Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 2473 (2000)), and have an organic heterojunction in which P-type and N-type are stacked. (P. Pnumans, Appl. Phys. Lett. 79, 126 (2001), Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-93258), having an organic bulk heterojunction blended with P type and N type (SEShaheen, Appl. Phys. Lett. 78, 841) (2001)), including a conductive organic compound as an electron-donating material, in particular a photoelectric conversion layer in which a conductive polymer and a compound semiconductor particle as an electron-accepting material are mixed (WUHuynh, Science 295, 2425 (2002) ))and so on. These organic solar cells exhibit relatively high conversion efficiency, but the conversion efficiency is currently much lower than that of silicon solar cells, and practical solar cells have not yet been developed.

As one of the methods for solving such a problem of conversion efficiency, a stacked organic solar cell is proposed in which a photoelectric conversion layer that generates light by receiving light is stacked to increase the light use efficiency and improve the conversion efficiency. (See, for example, Chemistry Letters (1990, P327), Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-31616

  However, even in the stacked organic solar cell proposed in Patent Document 1 and the like, the energy conversion efficiency is not yet sufficient, and the number of manufacturing steps and the types of materials used for manufacturing are high, and the cost is high. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stacked organic solar cell that has high energy conversion efficiency and can be manufactured at low cost.

  The stacked organic solar cell according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a first photoelectric conversion layer containing an electron accepting material and an electron donating material between the first electrode and the second electrode, In a stacked organic solar cell including a second photoelectric conversion layer containing an electron-accepting material and an electron-donating material between a second electrode and a third electrode, the work of the first to third electrodes The function is such that the first electrode> the second electrode> the third electrode.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the work function of the first to third electrodes is changed by treating the surface of at least one of the first to third electrodes to change the work function. The function is such that the first electrode> the second electrode> the third electrode.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, at least two of the first to third electrodes are formed of the same electrode material, and the surface is treated to change the work function. The work functions of the first to third electrodes are such that the first electrode> the second electrode> the third electrode.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, at least two of the first to third electrodes are formed of the same electrode material, and the surfaces thereof are processed under different conditions. By changing the function, the work functions of the first to third electrodes are such that the first electrode> the second electrode> the third electrode.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the work function difference between adjacent electrodes is 0.2 eV or more.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the work function of the first and second electrodes is first electrode> second electrode, an internal electric field is generated in the first photoelectric conversion layer, and charge separation efficiency is increased. And the charge transport efficiency is improved, and since the work function of the second and third electrodes is second electrode> third electrode, an internal electric field is generated in the second photoelectric conversion layer, and charge separation efficiency and The charge transport efficiency is improved. As a result, the efficiency of each of the first and second photoelectric conversion layers is improved, and a stacked organic solar cell excellent in overall energy conversion efficiency can be obtained. .

  Further, according to the inventions of claims 2 to 4, it is possible to use the same electrode material for at least two of the first to third electrodes, and a stacked organic material that is low in cost and excellent in energy conversion efficiency. A solar cell can be obtained.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 5, since the difference in work function of the electrodes is as large as 0.2 eV or more, the internal electric field generated in the photoelectric conversion layer is increased, the charge separation efficiency and the charge transport efficiency are further improved, and the energy Conversion efficiency is further improved.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of a stacked organic solar cell (tandem organic solar cell) according to the present invention. On a transparent substrate 10, a first electrode 1 made of a transparent conductive film, electron acceptance The first photoelectric conversion layer 2 formed by containing a conductive material and an electron donating material, the second electrode 3 made of a transparent conductive film, and the first photoelectric conversion layer formed by containing an electron accepting material and an electron donating material The first photoelectric conversion layer 4 and the third electrode 5 are stacked in this order, and the first cell 15, the first photoelectric conversion layer 2, and the second electrode 3 are connected to the second cell 3 by the second electrode 3. A second cell 16 is formed from the electrode 3, the second photoelectric conversion layer 4, and the third electrode 5. Of course, a photoelectric conversion layer and an electrode can be alternately laminated on this to form a multilayer.

  2, hole transport layers 11 and 12 are provided between the first electrode 1 and the first photoelectric conversion layer 2 and between the second electrode 3 and the second photoelectric conversion layer 4, respectively. Or providing electron transport layers 13 and 14 between the first photoelectric conversion layer 2 and the second electrode 3 and between the second photoelectric conversion layer 4 and the third electrode 5, respectively. You can also.

  Next, the material which comprises said lamination type organic solar cell is demonstrated.

  Said board | substrate 10 has a light transmittance, and in addition to colorless and transparent, it may be a little colored and may be ground glass. For example, a transparent glass plate such as soda lime glass or non-alkali glass, a plastic film or a plastic plate produced by an arbitrary method from a resin such as polyester, polyolefin, polyamide, or epoxy, or a fluorine-based resin can be used. Furthermore, it is possible to use a substrate having a light diffusion effect by containing particles, powder, bubbles, or the like having a refractive index different from that of the base material constituting the substrate 10 in the substrate 10.

The first electrode 1 is an electrode for efficiently collecting holes generated in the photoelectric conversion layers 2 and 4 of the cells 15 and 16, and a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound having a high work function, Or it is preferable to use the electrode material which consists of these mixtures, and it is good to use that whose work function is 4 eV or more. Specific examples of such electrode materials include metals such as gold, conductive transparent materials such as CuI, ITO (indium tin oxide), SnO ₂ , AZO, IZO, and GZO.

  The second electrode 3 is an electrode for efficiently collecting electrons in the cell 15 on the first electrode 1 side and holes in the cell 16 on the third electrode 5 side. The same electrode material can be used.

  The first and second electrodes 1 and 3 are produced by, for example, forming the electrode material on the surface of the substrate 10 into a thin film by a method such as vacuum deposition, ion plating, or sputtering. Can do. In order to allow light to reach the photoelectric conversion layers 2 and 4 through the first and second electrodes 1 and 3, the light transmittance of the electrodes 1 and 3 is preferably set to 70% or more. Further, the sheet resistance of the electrodes 1 and 3 is preferably several hundred Ω / port or less, particularly preferably 100 Ω / port or less. Here, the film thickness of the electrodes 1 and 3 varies depending on the material in order to control the light transmittance, sheet resistance and other characteristics of the electrodes 1 and 3 as described above, but is 500 nm or less, preferably 10 to 200 nm. It is better to set the range.

The third electrode 5 is a cathode for efficiently collecting electrons generated in the photoelectric conversion layers 2 and 4 of the cells 15 and 16, and includes a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound, and these having a low work function. It is preferable to use an electrode material made of a mixture of those having a work function of 5 eV or less. As the electrode material of the third electrode 5 serving as such a cathode, alkali metals, alkali metal halides, alkali metal oxides, alkaline earth metals, rare earths, and alloys of these with other metals, For example, sodium, sodium-potassium alloy, lithium, magnesium, magnesium-silver mixture, magnesium-indium mixture, aluminum-lithium alloy, Al / LiF mixture can be mentioned as examples. Aluminum, Al / Al ₂ O ₃ mixture, etc. can also be used. In addition, an alkali metal oxide, an alkali metal halide, or a metal oxide is used as a base for the cathode, and one or more materials (or alloys containing them) having a work function of 5 eV or less are stacked. May be used. For example, an alkali metal / Al laminate, an alkali metal halide / alkaline earth metal / Al laminate, an Al ₂ O ₃ / Al laminate, and the like can be given as examples. Alternatively, a transparent electrode material typified by ITO, IZO, or the like may be used, and light may be incident from the third electrode 5 side serving as a cathode.

  The third electrode 5 can be produced, for example, by forming these electrode materials into a thin film by a method such as a vacuum evaporation method or a sputtering method. Further, a metal such as Al is laminated on the third electrode 5 serving as the cathode by sputtering, or fluorine compound, fluorine polymer, other organic molecule or polymer is deposited, sputtered, CVD, plasma, etc. It is also possible to form a thin film by ultraviolet curing or thermal curing after polymerization and coating, or other methods.

  Further, the hole transport material for forming the hole transport layers 11 and 12 has the ability to transport holes, further prevents the movement of electrons to the hole transport layers 11 and 12, and forms a thin film. A compound having excellent ability can be mentioned. Specifically, phthalocyanine derivatives, naphthalocyanine derivatives, porphyrin derivatives, N, N'-bis (3-methylphenyl)-(1,1'-biphenyl) -4,4'-diamine (TPD), 4,4 Aromatic diamine compounds such as' -bis [N- (naphthyl) -N-phenyl-amino] biphenyl (α-NPD), oxazole, oxadiazole, triazole, imidazole, imidazolone, stilbene derivatives, pyrazoline derivatives, tetrahydroimidazole, Polyarylalkanes, butadiene, 4,4 ′, 4 ″ -tris (N- (3-methylphenyl) N-phenylamino) triphenylamine (m-MTDAT), and polyvinylcarbazole, polysilane, polyethylene dioxide thiophene (PEDOT) ) High conductive polymers such as It can be exemplified child materials, but is not limited thereto.

  Examples of the electron-donating organic compound used as the electron-donating material in the first and second photoelectric conversion layers 2 and 4 include phthalocyanine pigments, indigo, thioindigo pigments, quinacridone pigments, merocyanine compounds, cyanine compounds, Squalium compounds, charge transfer agents used in organic electrophotographic photoreceptors, electrically conductive organic charge transfer complexes, and conductive polymers can also be used.

  As the phthalocyanine pigments, halogen atoms such as divalent pigments such as Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, Pb, Pt, Fe, Mg, metal-free phthalocyanine, aluminum chlorophthalocyanine, indium chlorophthalocyanine, gallium chlorophthalocyanine, etc. Can be cited, but not limited to, phthalocyanines coordinated with oxygen, such as trivalent metal phthalocyanines coordinated with, and other such as baanadyl phthalocyanine and titanyl phthalocyanine.

  Examples of the charge transfer agent include, but are not limited to, hydrazine compounds, pyrazoline compounds, triphenylmethane compounds, and triphenylamine compounds.

  Examples of the electroconductive organic charge transfer complex include tetrathiofulvalene and tetraphenyltetrathioflavalene, but are not particularly limited thereto.

  Examples of the conductive polymer include poly (3-alkylthiophene) and polyparaphenylene vinylene derivatives that are soluble in an organic solvent such as toluene, but are not particularly limited thereto.

Examples of the electron-accepting material used in the first and second photoelectric conversion layers 2 and 4 include conductive polymers, semiconductor particles, fullerenes and derivatives thereof. Examples of the semiconductor particles include titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, CdS, CdSe, CdTe, InP, InAs, CuInSe, CuInS, GaAs, Cu ₂ S, ZnS, Si, Ge, and the like. It is not limited. Examples of the conductive polymer include poly (3-alkylthiophene) and polyparaphenylene vinylene derivatives that are soluble in an organic solvent such as toluene, but are not particularly limited thereto.

  In the stacked solar cell of the present invention formed with the above-described layer configuration, the work function of the first to third electrodes 1, 3, 5 is smaller in the second electrode 3 than in the first electrode 1. The third electrode 5 is set to be smaller than the second electrode 3, that is, the relationship of the first electrode 1> the second electrode 3> the third electrode 5 is established. As described above, by setting the work function to the relationship of the first electrode 1> the second electrode 3, an internal electric field is generated in the first photoelectric conversion layer 2, and the charge separation efficiency and the charge transport efficiency are improved. In addition, by setting the work function so that the second electrode 3> the third electrode 5, an internal electric field is generated in the second photoelectric conversion layer 4 and the charge separation efficiency and the charge transport efficiency are improved. Thus, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the first and second photoelectric conversion layers 2 and 4 and obtain a stacked organic solar cell excellent in overall energy conversion efficiency.

  At this time, the difference in work function between the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 3 and the difference in work function between the second electrode 3 and the third electrode 5 are each preferably 0.2 eV or more. The larger the work function difference between the adjacent electrodes 1, 3, 5, the more desirable, and the internal electric field generated in the photoelectric conversion layers 2, 4 can be increased by setting the work function difference to 0.2 eV or more. As a result, the charge separation efficiency and the charge transport efficiency are further improved, and the energy conversion efficiency is further improved.

  As described above, when the work functions of the first to third electrodes 1, 3, 5 are in the relationship of first electrode 1> second electrode 3> third electrode 5, It is not necessary to use three types of electrode materials having different work functions as the electrode materials of 1, 3, and 5. By changing the work function by treating the surfaces of the electrodes 1, 3, and 5, the work function is changed to the first electrode. 1> second electrode 3> third electrode 5 can be satisfied. Therefore, in this case, unlike when using different electrode materials for the electrodes 1, 3, and 5, the number of manufacturing steps and the types of materials used for manufacturing are not increased and the cost is not increased. It can be manufactured at low cost.

  For example, two types of electrode materials are used, two electrodes of electrodes 1, 3, and 5 are made of one electrode material, one electrode is made of the other electrode material, and at least one surface of the electrodes of the same electrode material The work function can be changed so as to satisfy the relationship of the first electrode 1> the second electrode 3> the third electrode 5. Also, the electrodes 1, 3, and 5 are made of the same electrode material, and the work function is changed to the first electrode by treating the surface of at least two of the three electrodes 1, 3, and 5 to change the work function. 1> second electrode 3> third electrode 5 can be satisfied.

  The surface treatment of the electrodes 1, 3 and 5 can be performed, for example, by applying an acid or alkali solution or treating the surface with ozone. When two or more of the electrodes 1, 3, and 5 are subjected to surface treatment, the surface treatment may be performed by different methods (that is, different conditions) in addition to the same treatment. For example, when the electrodes 1, 3, and 5 are manufactured using the same electrode material, the work function is changed to the first electrode 1> by treating the surfaces of the two electrodes under different conditions and changing the work function with different numerical values. The relationship of the second electrode 3> the third electrode 5 can be established.

  EXAMPLES Next, although an Example demonstrates this invention concretely, this invention is not limited to these Examples.

Example 1
ITO glass (manufactured by Sanyo Vacuum Co., Ltd.) in which a first electrode 1 having a sheet resistance of 7Ω / □ is formed as an anode by sputtering ITO (indium tin oxide) on one surface of a glass substrate 10 having a thickness of 0.7 mm. This was ultrasonically washed with acetone and isopropyl alcohol for 15 minutes and then dried.

  Then, the surface of the first electrode 1 was subjected to UV-ozone treatment for 10 minutes. Next, a film of polyethylene dioxythiophene: polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) having a thickness of 100 nm was formed on the surface of the first electrode 1 by a spin coating method to form the hole transport layer 11.

  Next, on the hole transport layer 11, 1 part by mass of poly (2-methoxy-5- (3 ', 7'-dimethyloctyloxy) 1,4-phenylene-vinylene) (MDMO-PPV), 4 A chlorobenzene solution mixed with part by mass of fullerene derivative [6,6] -PCBM was formed to a thickness of 100 nm by a spin coating method to form a first photoelectric conversion layer 2.

  Next, ITO was sputtered on the first photoelectric conversion layer 2 to form a second electrode 3 having a sheet resistance of 7Ω / □ as an intermediate electrode.

  Next, a polyethylenedioxythiophene: polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) film was formed on the second electrode 3 to a thickness of 100 nm by a spin coating method to form a hole transport layer 12.

  Next, the second photoelectric conversion layer 4 was formed on the hole transport layer 12 under the same materials and conditions as the first photoelectric conversion layer 2 described above.

  Then, a 1 nm thick LiF film and a 120 nm thick Al film are sequentially formed on the surface of the second photoelectric conversion layer 4 by vacuum deposition, and the third electrode 5 is formed as a cathode. Type organic solar cells were obtained (see FIG. 2).

(Example 2)
In Example 1, the surface treatment of the first electrode 1 was performed by using a 1 mM benzoic acid solution for 5 minutes at room temperature instead of UV-ozone. Otherwise, the tandem organic solar cell was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Example 3)
In Example 1, the surface treatment of the first electrode 1 was performed with benzoic acid in the same manner as in Example 2, and the surface of the second electrode 3 was subjected to UV-ozone treatment for 1 minute. Otherwise, the tandem organic solar cell was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

Example 4
In Example 1, the first electrode was formed using IZO (indium zinc oxide) instead of ITO, and the surface treatment was not performed. Otherwise, the tandem organic solar cell was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Example 5)
In Example 1, the first electrode was formed using IZO instead of ITO, and the same surface treatment as in Example 1 was performed. Otherwise, the tandem organic solar cell was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 1)
In Example 1, the surface treatment of the first electrode 1 is not performed (therefore, none of the electrodes 1, 3, and 5 is subjected to the surface treatment), and others are obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a tandem organic solar cell. It was.

  For the stacked organic solar cells obtained in Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1, the work functions of the first to third electrodes 1, 3, 5 were measured using a work function measuring device (“FAC-” manufactured by Riken Keiki Co., Ltd.). 1 ”), and the relative values with the work function of the first electrode 1 being“ 0.0 eV ”are shown in Table 1.

In addition, the stacked organic solar cells obtained in Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1 were connected to an ammeter (“2400 model” manufactured by KEYTHLEY), and a solar simulator (Yamashita) having an intensity of 100 mW / cm ^2. The conversion efficiency was measured using an electrical equipment company). A result is shown by the relative value which made the conversion efficiency of the comparative example 1 "1.00".

  As can be seen from Table 1, the conversion efficiency of each example formed so that the work function is first electrode> second electrode> third electrode is 1.06 in Example 1, and Example 2 Was 1.10, Example 3 was 1.13, Example 4 was 1.04, and Example 5 was 1.11. It was confirmed that high conversion efficiency was obtained with respect to 1.00 of Comparative Example 1. The

It is the schematic which shows an example of a laminated constitution of a laminated organic solar cell. It is the schematic which shows another example of the laminated constitution of a laminated organic solar cell.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st electrode 2 1st photoelectric converting layer 3 2nd electrode 4 2nd photoelectric converting layer 5 3rd electrode

Claims (5)

  A first photoelectric conversion layer containing an electron-accepting material and an electron-donating material is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, and between the second electrode and the third electrode, electron acceptance is provided. In the stacked organic solar cell including the second photoelectric conversion layer containing the conductive material and the electron donating material, the work functions of the first to third electrodes are as follows: first electrode> second electrode> third A laminated organic solar cell characterized by being an electrode of   By treating the surface of at least one of the first to third electrodes to change the work function, the work function of the first to third electrodes is such that the first electrode> the second electrode> The stacked organic solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the stacked organic solar cell is a third electrode.   By forming at least two of the first to third electrodes with the same electrode material and treating the surface to change the work function, the work functions of the first to third electrodes are changed to the first one. The stacked organic solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is configured as follows: electrode> second electrode> third electrode.   By forming at least two of the first to third electrodes with the same electrode material and treating the surface under different conditions to change the work function, the work functions of the first to third electrodes can be changed. The stacked organic solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode> the second electrode> the third electrode. The stacked organic solar cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a difference in work function between adjacent electrodes is 0.2 eV or more.

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