We introduced sensitizing dyes into the bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) photovoltaic (PV) layer of polymer solar cells (PSCs). The sensitizing dyes doped were Bis(tetra butyl ammonium) cis-dithio cyanato bis(2,2`-bipyridine-4-carboxylicacid-4`-carboxylate) ruthenium (II) (N719 dye) and the BHJ PV layer used was made of poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). It was found that the N719 dyes increase the photovoltaic performance, i.e., increasing open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density with improved fill factor. For the P3HT: PCBM PV cells doped with the N719 dyes (0.24wt %), an increase in power conversion efficiency of 4.0% was achieved, compared to that of the control cells (3.6%) without the N719 dyes.

We present the results of a study of the polarizing photovoltaic (PV) effects in an aligned polymer bulk heterojuction PV layer. The fairly uniform in-plane uniaxial alignment of the PV layer with a macroscopic axial orientational order parameter of 0.40 was achieved by means of a simple rubbing technique. Moreover, reflective polarizing PSCs having the aligned PV layers were applied to power-generating reflective type liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which exhibited a maximum contrast ratio of 1.7. These results form a promising foundation for various energy harvesting polarization dependent opto-electrical LCD device applications.

We introduced nanoscale interfacial layers between the PV layer and the cathode in poly (3-hexylthiophene):methanofullerene bulk-heterojunction polymer photovoltaic (PV) cells. The nanoscale double interfacial layers were made of ultrathin poly (oxyethylenetridecylether) surfactant and low-work-function alloy-metal of Al:Li layers. It was found that the nanoscale interfacial layers increase the photovoltaic performance, i.e., increasing short-circuit current density and fill factor with improved device stability. For PV cells with the nanoscale double interfacial layers, an increase in power conversion efficiency of 4.18 ± 0.24% was achieved, compared to that of the control devices (3.89 ± 0.08%) without the double interfacial layers.