UCLA

A lattice structure of metallic Nano pyramids (NPY) particles was planted on the interface between hole transport layer (HTL) and the transparent conductive layer (TCL) of an organic photovoltaic (OPV) cell. Standard metal evaporation along with Nano sphere lithography was used to grow the metallic NPY mesh structure. Silver (Ag) and Gold (Au) were the primary choice of the NPY mesh structure due to the excellent overlap of their peak localized surface Plasmon resonance (LSPR) frequency with the active layer absorption wavelengths. The current-voltage curve displayed an improvement in the efficiency and fill factor values of OPVs that used NPY lattice structure over devices that used regular sphere-shaped Nano particles. Despite the better-shaped and strong (LSPR) peak frequency of the Ag NPY lattice structure, Au NPY lattice structure exhibited an enhanced absorption and overall efficiency, which was owed to the wider (LSPR) frequency peak that Au possesses. The effect of NPY lattice structure could be further investigated with several approaches such as using different NPY materials, using core-shill approach, and growing the NPY on different layers or interfaces.