Plasmonic enhancement of aqueous processed organic photovoltaics

Sodium tungsten bronze (Na(x)WO(3)) is a promising alternative plasmonic material to nanoparticulate gold due to its strong plasmonic resonances in both the visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions. Additional benefits include its simple production either as a bulk or a nanoparticle material at a relatively low cost. In this work, plasmonic Na(x)WO(3) nanoparticles were introduced and mixed into the nanoparticulate zinc oxide electron transport layer of a water processed poly(3-hexylthiophene):phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PC(61)BM) nanoparticle (NP) based organic photovoltaic device (NP-OPV). The power conversion efficiency of NP-OPV devices with Na(x)WO(3) NPs added was found to improve by around 35% compared to the control devices, attributed to improved light absorption, resulting in an enhanced short circuit current and fill factor.