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Author Correction: Molecular vibrations reduce the maximum achievable photovoltage in organic solar cells

Authors :
Frank Ortmann
Tim Vangerven
Michel Panhans
Sebastian Hutsch
Karl Sebastian Schellhammer
Vasileios C. Nikolis
Koen Vandewal
Johannes Benduhn
Source :
Nature Communications, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-1 (2020), Nature Communications
Publication Year :
2020
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020.

Abstract

The low-energy edge of optical absorption spectra is critical for the performance of solar cells, but is not well understood in the case of organic solar cells (OSCs). We study the microscopic origin of exciton bands in molecular blends and investigate their role in OSCs. We simulate the temperature dependence of the excitonic density of states and low-energy absorption features, including low-frequency molecular vibrations and multi-exciton hybridisation. For model donor-acceptor blends featuring charge-transfer excitons, our simulations agree very well with temperature-dependent experimental absorption spectra. We unveil that the quantum effect of zero-point vibrations, mediated by electron-phonon interaction, causes a substantial exciton bandwidth and reduces the open-circuit voltage, which is predicted from electronic and vibronic molecular parameters. This effect is surprisingly strong at room temperature and can substantially limit the OSC's efficiency. Strategies to reduce these vibration-induced voltage losses are discussed for a larger set of systems and different heterojunction geometries.

Details

ISSN :
20411723
Volume :
11
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Nature Communications
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....0ba4c4e90aafea9e12a06c0abadef624
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15790-z