We demonstrate the first facile synthetic process to prepare a highly promising composite material by combining our frequently used p-type conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and further employed the composite as a hole transport layer (HTL) in plasmonic organic solar cells. The conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS:rGO mixture can be tuned by varying the concentration of rGO in the PEDOT:PSS solution. Ultimately, the integration of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) in the PEDOT:PSS:rGO plasmonic organic solar cell demonstrated a 9.34% improvement in the power conversion efficiency (PCE), measured using an AM1.5 G solar simulator at 100 mW cm−2 light illumination intensity to generate localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The enhanced performance was caused by local enrichment of the electromagnetic field surrounding the Au NPs.
