The Application of Bismuth-Based Oxides in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Photovoltaic Devices

Bismuth-based ferroelectric oxide films including BiFeO3, Bi2WO6 and BiVO4 with different band structure are prepared by pulsed laser deposition method and used as n-type semiconductors in photovoltaic devices. The oxide films are combined with p-type organic semiconductor poly(3-hexylthiophene) to form bilayer heterojunctions and their photovoltaic effects are systematically studied. Compared with some other oxide semiconductors, such as ZnO or TiO2, the bismuth-based oxides exhibit wider absorption spectra and can induce higher external quantum efficiency, open circuit voltage, and power conversion efficiency of the hybrid devices, indicating that bismuth-based oxides are promising materials for photovoltaic devices.