The effect of fullerene ratio PCBM and ICBA on the P3HT-based solar cells were investigated under ambient conditions; the ratio
was varied in the range of 1-3. The optical, morphological, structural, and electrical characteristics were investigated both in dark
and under illumination. The absorption spectra have revealed a decrease in the intensities by increasing the fullerene ratio and the
peaks were blue shifted. Moreover, florescence spectra demonstrated charge transfer from P3HT to fullerene molecules due to
uniform distribution of fullerene domains within the P3HT matrix. XRD patterns have shown a strong reduction in the crystallinity
by increasing the ratio of fullerene within the blend. Furthermore, AFM images showed smother surface corresponding to pinholes
with higher ratio while rougher surface with lower fullerene ratio was observed. The best performance was recorded for
P3HT:PCBM (3:1) with VOC = 0.58 volt, JSC = 9.9 mA.cm-2 and PCE 1.82%. The fill factor (FF) was found to be small for all
studied samples which could be associated with the preparation conditions where all samples were prepared under normal ambient.
Devices which demonstrated best performance were attributed to improved crystallinity and enhanced light absorption of the active
layer.