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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Improving Hybrid Solar Cells: Overcoming Charge Extraction Issues In Bulk Mixtures Of Polythiophenes And Zinc Oxide Nanostructures, Grant T. Olson Jun 2014

Improving Hybrid Solar Cells: Overcoming Charge Extraction Issues In Bulk Mixtures Of Polythiophenes And Zinc Oxide Nanostructures, Grant T. Olson

Master's Theses

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have received a great deal of focus in recent years as a possible alternative to expensive silicon based solar technology. Current challenges for organic photovoltaics are centered around improving their lifetimes and increasing their power conversion efficiencies. One approach to improving the lifetime of such devices has been the inclusion of inorganic metal oxide layers, but interaction between the metal oxides and common conjugated polymers is not favorable. Here we present two methods by which the interactions between polythiophenes and nanostructured ZnO can be made to be more favorable. Using the first method, direct side on attachment …


Carbon Nitride And Conjugated Polymer Composite Materials, Josh Byers Mar 2013

Carbon Nitride And Conjugated Polymer Composite Materials, Josh Byers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The semiconductor and photovoltaic properties of carbon nitride (CNx) thin films prepared using a reactive magnetron sputtering technique were investigated both individually and as composites with the organic conjugated polymers polybithiophene (PBT) and poly(3-hextlthiophene) (P3HT). At low nitrogen content, the film structure was dominated by graphitic sp2 percolation networks, whereas at higher nitrogen contents CNx films started to demonstrate semiconductor properties, as evidenced by the occurrence of photoconductivity and the development of a space charge region. When CNx was deposited onto a PBT substrate, it was found to function as an acceptor material improving the photocurrent generation both in …