Aesthetic and colorful: Dichroic polymer solar cells using high-performance Fabry-Perot etalon electrodes with a unique Sb2O3 cavity

Abstract

Semitransparent organic solar cells (STOSCs) are a technology that combines the benefits of visible light transparency and light-to-electrical energy conversion. One of the greatest opportunities for STOSCs is their integration into windows and skylights in energy-sustainable buildings. For this application, the aesthetic aspects of solar cells may be as important as their electrical performance. Here, our strategy enables to achieve high-quality and colorful STOSCs using Fabry-Perot etalon-type electrodes. These electrodes are composed of an antimony oxide (Sb2O3) cavity layer and two thin Ag mirrors. These dichroic tri-layer structures perform two functions as top conducting electrodes and color filters. These dual-function electrodes were applied to photovoltaic devices and displayed vivid colors, natural transparency, and good performance as compared to devices that use conventional metal electrodes. Furthermore, to achieve saturated colors and low photocurrent losses, active layer materials were selected such that their transmittance peaks matched the transmittance maxima of the electrodes. These strategies for colorful STOSCs result in power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 13.3% and maximum transmittances (T-MAX) of 24.6% in blue devices, PCEs of up to 9.71% and T-MAX of 35.4% in green devices, and PCEs of up to 7.63% and T-MAX of 34.7% in red devices.