Enhanced performance in organic photovoltaic devices with KMnO₄ solution treated indium tin oxide anode modification

The properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene):(6,6)-phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) with indium tin oxide (ITO) anode treated by KMnO₄ solution are investigated. The optimized KMnO₄ solution has a concentration of 50 mg/L, and ITO is treated for 15 min. The modification of ITO anode results in an enhancement of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the device, which is responsible for the increase of the photocurrent. The performance enhancement is attributed to the work function modification of the ITO substrate through the strong oxygenation of KMnO₄, and then the charge collection efficiency is improved.