701
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Li W, Hendriks KH, Furlan A, Roelofs WSC, Meskers SCJ, Wienk MM, Janssen RAJ. Effect of the fibrillar microstructure on the efficiency of high molecular weight diketopyrrolopyrrole-based polymer solar cells. Adv Mater 2014; 26:1565-1570. [PMID: 24293341 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201304360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2013] [Revised: 10/01/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The nature of the solubilizing alkyl side chains has a strong effect on the performance of semiconducting diketopyrrolopyrrole polymers in organic solar cells with fullerene acceptors. The effect relates to the width of semicrystalline polymer fibrils that form in these blends. If the width of the fibril is wider than the exciton diffusion length, fewer charges form and the efficiency drops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Li
- Molecular Materials and Nanosystems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600, MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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702
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Zhou H, Zhang Y, Mai CK, Collins SD, Nguyen TQ, Bazan GC, Heeger AJ. Conductive conjugated polyelectrolyte as hole-transporting layer for organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. Adv Mater 2014; 26:780-785. [PMID: 24170587 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201302845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2013] [Revised: 08/20/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been extensively used as the hole-transporting layer (HTL) in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells, however, its anisotropic electrical conduction and intrinsic acidic nature generally limit the device performance. Here we demonstrate the application of a water/alcohol soluble CPE (CPE-K) as HTLs in BHJ solar cells, achieving a PCE up to 8.2%. The more superior and uniform vertical electrical conductivity found in CPE-K reduces the series resistance and provides efficient hole extraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiqiong Zhou
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
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703
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Chen YH, Chen CW, Huang ZY, Lin WC, Lin LY, Lin F, Wong KT, Lin HW. Microcavity-embedded, colour-tuneable, transparent organic solar cells. Adv Mater 2014; 26:1129-34. [PMID: 24347466 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201304658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2013] [Revised: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
In this work microcavity-capped colour-tuneable SMOSCs are evaluated. By adopting a microcavity-structured cathode with optical spacer layers of different thicknesses fabricated in a Ag/NPB/Ag structure, the transmission spectra of complete devices can be tuned over the entire visible-light region (400-750 nm). The fabricated semitransparent colour-tuneable solar cells show an average efficiency of 4.78% under 1-sun illumination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hong Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, No. 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
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704
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Gu X, Cui W, Song T, Liu C, Shi X, Wang S, Sun B. Solution-processed 2D niobium diselenide nanosheets as efficient hole-transport layers in organic solar cells. ChemSusChem 2014; 7:416-420. [PMID: 24464869 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201300615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Revised: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Thin-layer, two-dimensional NbSe2 nanosheets with lower trap density have been obtained and act as an alternative hole-transporting layer to replace MoO3 in organic solar cells. If poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}):[6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester acts as an active layer, a power conversion efficiency of 8.10 % has been achieved without any further thermal treatment. The properties of this hole-transporting layer were investigated and the improvements in the devices are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Gu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123 (PR China)
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705
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Zhang X, Lu Z, Ye L, Zhan C, Hou J, Zhang S, Jiang B, Zhao Y, Huang J, Zhang S, Liu Y, Shi Q, Liu Y, Yao J. A potential perylene diimide dimer-based acceptor material for highly efficient solution-processed non-fullerene organic solar cells with 4.03% efficiency. Adv Mater 2013; 25:5791-7. [PMID: 23925952 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201300897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2013] [Revised: 05/31/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
A highly efficient acceptor material for organic solar cells (OSCs)--based on perylene diimide (PDI) dimers--shows significantly reduced aggregation compared to monomeric PDI. The dimeric PDI shows a best power conversion efficiency (PCE) approximately 300 times that of the monomeric PDI when blended with a conjugate polymer (BDTTTT-C-T) and with 1,8-diiodooctane as co-solvent (5%). This shows that non-fullerene materials also hold promise for efficient OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P.R. China
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706
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Verreet B, Heremans P, Stesmans A, Rand BP. Microcrystalline organic thin-film solar cells. Adv Mater 2013; 25:5504-5507. [PMID: 23939936 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201301643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2013] [Revised: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystalline organic films with tunable thickness are produced directly on an indium-tin-oxide substrate, by crystallizing a thin amorphous rubrene film followed by its use as a template for subsequent homoepitaxial growth. These films, with exciton diffusion lengths exceeding 200 nm, produce solar cells with increasing photocurrents at thicknesses up to 400 nm with a fill factor >65%, demonstrating significant potential for microcrystalline organic electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bregt Verreet
- imec, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium; Semiconductor Physics Section, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200d, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
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707
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Liu Y, Yang YM, Chen CC, Chen Q, Dou L, Hong Z, Li G, Yang Y. Solution-processed small molecules using different electron linkers for high-performance solar cells. Adv Mater 2013; 25:4657-4662. [PMID: 23824701 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201301716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2013] [Revised: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Conjugated acceptor-donor-acceptor small molecules using different electron linkers are designed, synthesized, and used in organic solar cells. All of these small molecules show high photoconversion efficiencies (PCEs), ranging from 3.18-6.15% under simulated AM 1.5G condition. A maximum PCE of 6.15% combined with a high Voc of 0.85 V, a Jsc of 10.79 mA cm(-2) and a notable FF of 67.1% are achieved with T3/PC71 BM blend based devices using polydimethylsiloxane as additive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsheng Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA; California Nano Systems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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708
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Thiessen A, Vogelsang J, Adachi T, Steiner F, Vanden Bout D, Lupton JM. Unraveling the chromophoric disorder of poly(3-hexylthiophene). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:E3550-6. [PMID: 24003119 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1307760110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The spectral breadth of conjugated polymers gives these materials a clear advantage over other molecular compounds for organic photovoltaic applications and is a key factor in recent efficiencies topping 10%. However, why do excitonic transitions, which are inherently narrow, lead to absorption over such a broad range of wavelengths in the first place? Using single-molecule spectroscopy, we address this fundamental question in a model material, poly(3-hexylthiophene). Narrow zero-phonon lines from single chromophores are found to scatter over 200 nm, an unprecedented inhomogeneous broadening that maps the ensemble. The giant red shift between solution and bulk films arises from energy transfer to the lowest-energy chromophores in collapsed polymer chains that adopt a highly ordered morphology. We propose that the extreme energetic disorder of chromophores is structural in origin. This structural disorder on the single-chromophore level may actually enable the high degree of polymer chain ordering found in bulk films: both structural order and disorder are crucial to materials physics in devices.
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709
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Abstract
Recently, researchers have paid a great deal of attention to the research and development of organic solar cells, leading to a breakthrough of over 10% power conversion efficiency. Though impressive, further development is required to ensure a bright industrial future for organic photovoltaics. Relatively narrow spectral overlap of organic polymer absorption bands within the solar spectrum is one of the major limitations of organic solar cells. Among different strategies that are in progress to tackle this restriction, the novel concept of ternary organic solar cells is a promising candidate to extend the absorption spectra of large bandgap polymers to the near IR region and to enhance light harvesting in single bulk-heterojunction solar cells. In this contribution, we review the recent developments in organic ternary solar cell research based on various types of sensitizers. In addition, the aspects of miscibility, morphology complexity, charge transfer dynamics as well as carrier transport in ternary organic composites are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayebeh Ameri
- Institute of Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (I-MEET), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Martensstrasse 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
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710
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Durrant JR. Molecular approaches to solar energy conversion: the energetic cost of charge separation from molecular-excited states. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2013; 371:20120195. [PMID: 23816914 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2012.0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
This review starts with a brief overview of the technological potential of molecular-based solar cell technologies. It then goes on to focus on the core scientific challenge associated with using molecular light-absorbing materials for solar energy conversion, namely the separation of short-lived, molecular-excited states into sufficiently long-lived, energetic, separated charges capable of generating an external photocurrent. Comparisons are made between different molecular-based solar cell technologies, with particular focus on the function of dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical solar cells as well as parallels with the function of photosynthetic reaction centres. The core theme of this review is that generating charge carriers with sufficient lifetime and a high quantum yield from molecular-excited states comes at a significant energetic cost-such that the energy stored in these charge-separated states is typically substantially less than the energy of the initially generated excited state. The role of this energetic loss in limiting the efficiency of solar energy conversion by such devices is emphasized, and strategies to minimize this energy loss are compared and contrasted.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Durrant
- Centre for Plastic Electronics and Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
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711
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George Z, Kroon R, Gehlhaar R, Gbabode G, Lundin A, Hellström S, Müller C, Geerts Y, Heremans P, Andersson MR. The Influence of Alkoxy Substitutions on the Properties of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Phenyl Copolymers for Solar Cells. Materials (Basel) 2013; 6:3022-34. [PMID: 28811420 DOI: 10.3390/ma6073022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2013] [Revised: 07/02/2013] [Accepted: 07/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A previously reported diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-phenyl copolymer is modified by adding methoxy or octyloxy side chains on the phenyl spacer. The influence of these alkoxy substitutions on the physical, opto-electronic properties, and photovoltaic performance were investigated. It was found that the altered physical properties correlated with an increase in chain flexibility. Well-defined oligomers were synthesized to verify the observed structure-property relationship. Surprisingly, methoxy substitution on the benzene spacer resulted in higher melting and crystallization temperatures in the synthesized oligomers. This trend is not observed in the polymers, where the improved interactions are most likely counteracted by the larger conformational possibilities in the polymer chain upon alkoxy substitution. The best photovoltaic performance was obtained for the parent polymer: fullerene blends whereas the modifications on the other two polymers result in reduced open-circuit voltage and varying current densities under similar processing conditions. The current densities could be related to different polymer: fullerene blend morphologies. These results show that supposed small structural alterations such as methoxy substitution already significantly altered the physical properties of the parent polymer and also that oligomers and polymers respond divergent to structural alterations made on a parent structure.
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712
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Dibb GFA, Jamieson FC, Maurano A, Nelson J, Durrant JR. Limits on the Fill Factor in Organic Photovoltaics: Distinguishing Nongeminate and Geminate Recombination Mechanisms. J Phys Chem Lett 2013; 4:803-808. [PMID: 26281936 DOI: 10.1021/jz400140p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In this Letter, we present transient optoelectronic experimental studies of the recombination processes limiting the fill factor (FF) in three conjugated polymer:fullerene systems, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and two lower-band-gap polymers that exhibit lower FFs poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole) (PCPDTBT) and poly(2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)) (APFO-3). Using transient absorption spectroscopy, charge extraction, and transient photovoltage experiments, we show that the lower FF observed for the PCPDTBT-based device results from enhanced nongeminate recombination even at short circuit, In contrast, we show that for APFO-3 devices, the FF is primarily limited by a voltage-dependent free charge generation, which we assign to a geminate recombination process.
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Affiliation(s)
- George F A Dibb
- Centre for Plastic Electronics and †Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona C Jamieson
- Centre for Plastic Electronics and †Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Maurano
- Centre for Plastic Electronics and †Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Jenny Nelson
- Centre for Plastic Electronics and †Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - James R Durrant
- Centre for Plastic Electronics and †Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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713
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Bakulin AA, Dimitrov SD, Rao A, Chow PCY, Nielsen CB, Schroeder BC, McCulloch I, Bakker HJ, Durrant JR, Friend RH. Charge-Transfer State Dynamics Following Hole and Electron Transfer in Organic Photovoltaic Devices. J Phys Chem Lett 2013; 4:209-215. [PMID: 26291233 DOI: 10.1021/jz301883y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The formation of bound electron-hole pairs, also called charge-transfer (CT) states, in organic-based photovoltaic devices is one of the dominant loss mechanisms hindering performance. Whereas CT state dynamics following electron transfer from donor to acceptor have been widely studied, there is not much known about the dynamics of bound CT states produced by hole transfer from the acceptor to the donor. In this letter, we compare the dynamics of CT states formed in the different charge-transfer pathways in a range of model systems. We show that the nature and dynamics of the generated CT states are similar in the case of electron and hole transfer. However the yield of bound and free charges is observed to be strongly dependent on the HOMOD-HOMOA and LUMOD-LUMOA energy differences of the material system. We propose a qualitative model in which the effects of static disorder and sampling of states during the relaxation determine the probability of accessing CT states favorable for charge separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem A Bakulin
- †FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- ‡Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Stoichko D Dimitrov
- §Centre for Plastic Electronics, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Akshay Rao
- ‡Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Philip C Y Chow
- ‡Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Christian B Nielsen
- §Centre for Plastic Electronics, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Bob C Schroeder
- §Centre for Plastic Electronics, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Iain McCulloch
- §Centre for Plastic Electronics, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Huib J Bakker
- †FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - James R Durrant
- §Centre for Plastic Electronics, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Richard H Friend
- ‡Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
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714
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Woo S, Jeong JH, Lyu HK, Han YS, Kim Y. In situ-prepared composite materials of PEDOT: PSS buffer layer-metal nanoparticles and their application to organic solar cells. Nanoscale Res Lett 2012; 7:641. [PMID: 23173992 PMCID: PMC3552830 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276x-7-641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We report an enhancement in the efficiency of organic solar cells via the incorporation of gold (Au) or silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) in the hole-transporting buffer layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), which was formed on an indium tin oxide (ITO) surface by the spin-coating of PEDOT:PSS-Au or Ag NPs composite solution. The composite solution was synthesized by a simple in situ preparation method which involved the reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) or silver nitrate (AgNO3) with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) solution in the presence of aqueous PEDOT:PSS media. The NPs were well dispersed in the PEDOT:PSS media and showed a characteristic absorption peak due to the surface plasmon resonance effect. Organic solar cells with the structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS-Au, Ag NPs/poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM)/LiF/Al exhibited an 8% improvement in their power conversion efficiency mainly due to the enlarged surface roughness of the PEDOT:PSS, which lead to an improvement in the charge collection and ultimately improvements in the short-circuit current density and fill factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungho Woo
- Green Energy Research Division, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 711-873, South Korea
| | - Jae Hoon Jeong
- Green Energy Research Division, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 711-873, South Korea
- Organic Nanoelectronics Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, South Korea
| | - Hong Kun Lyu
- Green Energy Research Division, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 711-873, South Korea
| | - Yoon Soo Han
- Department of Advanced Energy Material Science and Engineering, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongbuk, 712-702, South Korea
| | - Youngkyoo Kim
- Organic Nanoelectronics Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, South Korea
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715
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Rajaram S, Shivanna R, Kandappa SK, Narayan KS. Nonplanar Perylene Diimides as Potential Alternatives to Fullerenes in Organic Solar Cells. J Phys Chem Lett 2012; 3:2405-2408. [PMID: 26292123 DOI: 10.1021/jz301047d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Perylene diimides (PDIs) are attractive alternatives to fullerenes as electron transporters because of their optoelectronic properties, durability, and ease of synthesis. Belying this promise, devices that utilize PDIs as electron acceptors have low efficiencies. The primary deficiency in such cells is the low short circuit current density (JSC), which is traceable to the crystallinity of PDIs. Therefore, disrupting the crystallinity without adversely impacting the charge-transfer properties of PDIs is proposed as an important design principle. This has been achieved using a nonplanar perylene. In combination with a hole transporting polymer, a device efficiency of 2.77% has been achieved. A 10-fold increase in JSC is observed in comparison with a planar PDI, resulting in one of the highest JSC values for a solution processed device featuring a PDI. Indeed, this is one of the highest efficiencies for devices featuring a nonfullerene as the electron transporter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sridhar Rajaram
- †International Centre for Materials Science and ‡Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Ravichandran Shivanna
- †International Centre for Materials Science and ‡Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Sunil Kumar Kandappa
- †International Centre for Materials Science and ‡Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
| | - K S Narayan
- †International Centre for Materials Science and ‡Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
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716
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Ponseca CS, Němec H, Vukmirović N, Fusco S, Wang E, Andersson MR, Chabera P, Yartsev A, Sundström V. Electron and Hole Contributions to the Terahertz Photoconductivity of a Conjugated Polymer:Fullerene Blend Identified. J Phys Chem Lett 2012; 3:2442-2446. [PMID: 26292130 DOI: 10.1021/jz301013u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy was employed for the investigation of charge-transport dynamics in benzothiadiazolo-dithiophene polyfluorene ([2,7-(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene)-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)]) (APFO-3) polymers with various chain lengths and in its monomer form, all blended with an electron acceptor ([6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester, PCBM). Upon photoexcitation, charged polaron pairs are created, negative charges are transferred to fullerenes, while positive polarons remain on polymers/monomers. Vastly different hole mobility in polymer and monomer blends allows us to distinguish the hole and electron contributions to the carrier mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlito S Ponseca
- †Division of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Hynek Němec
- ‡Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 182 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Nenad Vukmirović
- §Scientific Computing Laboratory, Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Sandra Fusco
- ∥Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Ergang Wang
- ∥Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Mats R Andersson
- ∥Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Pavel Chabera
- †Division of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Arkady Yartsev
- †Division of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Villy Sundström
- †Division of Chemical Physics, Lund University, Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
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717
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Mothy S, Guillaume M, Idé J, Castet F, Ducasse L, Cornil J, Beljonne D. Tuning the Interfacial Electronic Structure at Organic Heterojunctions by Chemical Design. J Phys Chem Lett 2012; 3:2374-2378. [PMID: 26292117 DOI: 10.1021/jz300894r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Quantum-chemical techniques are applied to assess the electronic structure at donor/acceptor heterojunctions of interest for organic solar cells. We show that electrostatic effects at the interface of model 1D stacks profoundly modify the energy landscape explored by charge carriers in the photoconversion process and that these can be tuned by chemical design. When fullerene C60 molecules are used as acceptors and unsubstituted oligothiophenes or pentacene are used as donors, the uncompensated quadrupolar electric field at the interface provides the driving force for splitting of the charge-transfer states into free charges. This quadrupolar field can be either enhanced by switching from a C60 to a perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) acceptor or suppressed by grafting electron-withdrawing groups on the donor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Mothy
- †Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, 351 Cours de la Libération, F-33405 Talence CEDEX
- ‡Service de Chimie des Matériaux Nouveaux, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Maxime Guillaume
- ‡Service de Chimie des Matériaux Nouveaux, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Julien Idé
- †Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, 351 Cours de la Libération, F-33405 Talence CEDEX
- ‡Service de Chimie des Matériaux Nouveaux, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Frédéric Castet
- †Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, 351 Cours de la Libération, F-33405 Talence CEDEX
| | - Laurent Ducasse
- †Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, 351 Cours de la Libération, F-33405 Talence CEDEX
| | - Jérôme Cornil
- ‡Service de Chimie des Matériaux Nouveaux, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - David Beljonne
- ‡Service de Chimie des Matériaux Nouveaux, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
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718
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Abstract
Proof-of-concept transient absorption microscopy (TAM) with simultaneously high spatial and temporal resolution was demonstrated to image charge generation and recombination in model systems of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blends upon extended thermal annealing. Significant spatial heterogeneity in charge generation and recombination dynamics was revealed on the length scale of hundreds of nanometers near the micrometer-sized PCBM crystallites, suggesting that information obtained in ensemble measurements by integrating over microscopically inhomogeneous areas could be misleading. In contrast to previous studies, high sensitivity of our instrumentation allows us to employ low excitation intensities to minimize higher-order recombination processes. TAM provides a unique noncontact tool to probe local functionality in microscopically heterogeneous energy harvesting systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Tsz On Wong
- †Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Shun Shang Lo
- ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Libai Huang
- †Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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719
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Hori T, Kittichungchit V, Moritou H, Kubo H, Fujii A, Ozaki M. Solvent Vapor Treatment Effects on Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Thin Films and its Application for Interpenetrating Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells. Materials (Basel) 2010; 3:4939-4949. [PMID: 28883362 PMCID: PMC5445771 DOI: 10.3390/ma3114939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2010] [Revised: 11/08/2010] [Accepted: 11/12/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The solvent vapor treatment (SVT) for poly(3-hexylthiophene) (PAT6) films and its application to interpenetrating heterojunction organic solar cells have been studied. It was found that SVT could improve the crystallinity and electrical characteristics of the PAT6 films. We fabricated organic solar cells with an interpenetrating structure of PAT6 and fullerenes utilizing the SVT process, and discuss the improved performance of the solar cells by taking the film crystallinity, optical properties, and morphology into consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuro Hori
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Varutt Kittichungchit
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hiroki Moritou
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Kubo
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Akihiko Fujii
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Masanori Ozaki
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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720
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Hori T, Moritou H, Fukuoka N, Sakamoto J, Fujii A, Ozaki M. Photovoltaic Properties in Interpenetrating Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells Utilizing MoO₃ and ZnO Charge Transport Buffer Layers. Materials (Basel) 2010; 3:4915-4921. [PMID: 28883360 PMCID: PMC5445772 DOI: 10.3390/ma3114915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2010] [Accepted: 11/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Organic thin-film solar cells with a conducting polymer (CP)/fullerene (C60) interpenetrating heterojunction structure, fabricated by spin-coating a CP onto a C60 deposit thin film, have been investigated and demonstrated to have high efficiency. The photovoltaic properties of solar cells with a structure of indium-tin-oxide/C60/ poly(3-hexylthiophene) (PAT6)/Au have been improved by the insertion of molybdenum trioxide (VI) (MoO₃) and zinc oxide charge transport buffer layers. The enhanced photovoltaic properties have been discussed, taking into consideration the ground-state charge transfer between PAT6 and MoO₃ by measurement of the differential absorption spectra and the suppressed contact resistance at the interface between the organic and buffer layers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuro Hori
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hiroki Moritou
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Naoki Fukuoka
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Junki Sakamoto
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Akihiko Fujii
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Masanori Ozaki
- Division of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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