Research Projects

The disadvantage of organic solar cell is low power conversion efficiency due to low carrier mobility of conducting polymers. This drawback can be overcome by combining the conducting polymers with inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals which have high electron mobility and size dependent optical properties. Moreover, photo-induced charge separation mainly takes place at the interfaces between inorganic semiconductors and organic conducting polymers in these hybrid materials where electrons are injected from the conducting polymers into inorganic semiconductors and holes remain in the polymers. In this present proposal, we propose to undertake a systematic study of perovskite nanocrystal-Sensitized MoS₂-ZnO-Core-Shell/Conducting Polymer Heterostructures for Improving the Performance of Wearable Flexible Photovoltaic Cells with superior efficiency, flexible and less expensive for our clean energy demand. Vertically aligned ZnO NWs will be grown on ITO coated flexible PET polymer substrates by hydrothermal process. These ZnO NWs are attractive due to improve of donor-acceptor interfacial area and electron transport path toward the negative electrode with very high electron mobility. MoS2 exhibit a combination of ease of processing, cost-effective manufacturing, long-term environmental stability, and good compatibility with chemical functionalization for composite formation, allowing energy levels to be matched with those of other required material components. MoS2 coating leads to an enhancement of the photocurrent suggesting effective separation and transfer of electron-hole pairs in the MoS2/ZnO heterostructures. Perovskite solar cells is to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of solar energy. This perovskite absorbed the light incident on it and generate electron-hole charge carriers. By adding perovskites, the concentration of the charge carriers increases, as a results, increase the power conversion efficiency. These ZnO, MoS2, perovskites and n-type conducting polymers PCBM are electron transport layers (ETL). The p-type conducting polymers such P3HT and PEDOT:PSS are hole transporting layer (HTL), these p-type conducting polymers play an important role to enhance the photocurrent and power conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic solar cells. The two materials organic and inorganic semiconductors are assembled together in a heterojunction-type photoactive layer, which can have greater power conversion efficiency than a single material. The specific objectives of the proposal are; Growth of aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs) ITO) coated glass or flexible polymer PET substrate. Fabrication of hybrid photovoltaic device with Perovskites/MoS₂@ZnO core-shell structures heterostructures and conducting polymers viz., P3HT, PCBM and PEDOT:PSS. Fabrication of PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM/CH3NH3PbBr3/MoS2/ZnO solar cell on ITO coated flexible PET substrate of size ≥ 1cm x 1 cm and power conversion efficiency of more than 10 %.