Fullerene solar cells with cholesteric liquid crystal doping

This paper reports the doping effect of cholesteric liquid crystal 3β-Hydroxy-5-cholestene 3-oleate on polymer solar cells composed of the poly 3-hexyl thiophene and the fullerene derivative. With a doping ratio of 0.3 wt%, the device achieves an ideal improvement on the shunt resistor and the fill factor. Compared with the reference cell, the power conversion efficiency of the doped cell is improved 24%. The photoelectric measurement and the active layer characterization indicate that the self-assembly liquid crystal can improve the film crystallization and reduce the membrane defect.