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2025 Vol.13, Issue 3
Tailoring ZnO Electron Transport Layer with Triarylamine-Polysilazane-Based Interlayer for Efficient Small and Large Area Polymer Solar Cells
Muhammad Jahankhan12
,
Sabeen Zahra12
,
Du Hyeon Ryu13
,
Chang Eun Song12
,
Hang Ken Lee12
,
Sang Kyu Lee12
,
Seungjin Lee1*
,
Won Suk Shin12*
1Photoenergy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
2Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea
3Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Korea University Seoul, 02855, Republic of Korea
*Co-Corresponding Authors
30 September 2025. pp. 119-125
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Abstract

This paper provides a novel approach to improve the performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs) by modifying the zinc oxide (ZnO) electron transport layer (ETL) through the introduction of a poly(triarylamine-polysilazane) (P(TAA-PSZ)) interlayer. This interlayer achieves key progresses in device performance. First of all, it lowers the surface energy of the ZnO ETL, leading to better adhesion between the hydrophobic active layer and the ZnO ETL. This modification effectively suppresses trap-assisted recombination and enhances charge transport/collection efficiency. As a result, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs increases significantly, improving from 14.26% with the reference interlayer to 16.31% with the modified interlayer. Moreover, the robustness of the interlayer ensures its applicability to large-area sub-module fabrication, making it a promising candidate for scalable photovoltaic technologies. These findings demonstrate the potential of amine-based crosslinked interlayers to optimize the performance of PSCs and contribute to efficient solar energy harvesting.

Keywords
Non-fullerene polymer solar cells
Interfacial modification
Surface energy
Electron transporting layer
Large area sub-module
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Information
  • Publisher :Korea Photovoltaic Society
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국태양광발전학회
  • Journal Title :Current Photovoltaic Research
  • Volume : 13
  • No :3
  • Pages :119-125
  • Received Date : 2024-11-29
  • Revised Date : 2025-05-23
  • Accepted Date : 2025-06-30
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.21218/CPR.2025.13.3.119
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