Lateral organic solar cells with self-assembled semiconductor nanowires

Solution-processable organic semiconductor nanowires (NWs) offer a potentially powerful strategy for producing large-area printed flexible devices. Here, the fabrication of lateral organic solar cells (LOSC) using solution-processed organic NW blends on a flexible substrate to produce a power source for use in flexible integrated microelectronics is reported. A high photocarrier generation and an efficient charge sweep out are achieved by incorporating 1D self-assembled poly(3-hexylthiophene) NWs into the active layer, and an MoO₃ interfacial layer with high work function is introduced to increase the built-in potential. These structures significantly increase the carrier diffusion/drift length and overall generated photocurrent in the channel. The utility of the LOSCs for high power source applications is demonstrated by using interdigitated electrode patterns that consist of multiple devices connected in parallel or in series. High photovoltage-producing LOSC modules on plastic substrates for use in flexible optoelectronic devices are successfully fabricated. The LOSCs described here offer a new device architecture for use in highly flexible photoresponsive energy devices. Lateral organic solar cells in which organic semiconductor nanowires are incorporated are fabricated on patterned asymmetric electrodes. Efficient charge sweep-out is achieved by incorporating self-assembled nanowires into the photoactive layer. The lateral devices can be fabricated on any substrate and mechanically deformed without loss of performance, which presents an approach to large-scale fabrication of flexible energy devices.