1
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Zhou Q, Yan C, Li H, Zhu Z, Gao Y, Xiong J, Tang H, Zhu C, Yu H, Lopez SPG, Wang J, Qin M, Li J, Luo L, Liu X, Qin J, Lu S, Meng L, Laquai F, Li Y, Cheng P. Polymer Fiber Rigid Network with High Glass Transition Temperature Reinforces Stability of Organic Photovoltaics. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2024; 16:224. [PMID: 38888701 PMCID: PMC11189398 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01442-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) need to overcome limitations such as insufficient thermal stability to be commercialized. The reported approaches to improve stability either rely on the development of new materials or on tailoring the donor/acceptor morphology, however, exhibiting limited applicability. Therefore, it is timely to develop an easy method to enhance thermal stability without having to develop new donor/acceptor materials or donor-acceptor compatibilizers, or by introducing another third component. Herein, a unique approach is presented, based on constructing a polymer fiber rigid network with a high glass transition temperature (Tg) to impede the movement of acceptor and donor molecules, to immobilize the active layer morphology, and thereby to improve thermal stability. A high-Tg one-dimensional aramid nanofiber (ANF) is utilized for network construction. Inverted OPVs with ANF network yield superior thermal stability compared to the ANF-free counterpart. The ANF network-incorporated active layer demonstrates significantly more stable morphology than the ANF-free counterpart, thereby leaving fundamental processes such as charge separation, transport, and collection, determining the device efficiency, largely unaltered. This strategy is also successfully applied to other photovoltaic systems. The strategy of incorporating a polymer fiber rigid network with high Tg offers a distinct perspective addressing the challenge of thermal instability with simplicity and universality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiao Zhou
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Cenqi Yan
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hongxiang Li
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhendong Zhu
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Yujie Gao
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Xiong
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Hua Tang
- KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Can Zhu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Hailin Yu
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Sandra P Gonzalez Lopez
- KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Jiayu Wang
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Qin
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianshu Li
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Longbo Luo
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiangyang Liu
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaqiang Qin
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Shirong Lu
- Department of Material Science and Technology, Taizhou University, Taizhou, 318000, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Meng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Frédéric Laquai
- KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Yongfang Li
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Pei Cheng
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Zhang C, Song A, Huang Q, Cao Y, Zhong Z, Liang Y, Zhang K, Liu C, Huang F, Cao Y. All-Polymer Solar Cells and Photodetectors with Improved Stability Enabled by Terpolymers Containing Antioxidant Side Chains. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2023; 15:140. [PMID: 37247165 PMCID: PMC10226943 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-023-01114-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
It is of vital importance to improve the long-term and photostability of organic photovoltaics, including organic solar cells (OSCs) and organic photodetectors (OPDs), for their ultimate industrialization. Herein, two series of terpolymers featuring with an antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)-terminated side chain, PTzBI-EHp-BTBHTx and N2200-BTBHTx (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2), are designed and synthesized. It was found that incorporating appropriate ratio of benzothiadiazole (BT) with BHT side chains on the conjugated backbone would induce negligible effect on the molecular weight, absorption spectra and energy levels of polymers, however, which would obviously enhance the photostability of these polymers. Consequently, all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) and photodetectors were fabricated, and the all-PSC based on PTzBI-EHp-BTBHT0.05: N2200 realized an optimal power conversion efficiency (PCE) approaching ~ 10%, outperforming the device based on pristine PTzBI-EHp: N2200. Impressively, the all-PSCs based on BHT-featuring terpolymers displayed alleviated PCEs degradation under continuous irradiation for 300 h due to the improved morphological and photostability of active layers. The OPDs based on BHT-featuring terpolymers achieved a lower dark current at - 0.1 bias, which could be stabilized even after irradiation over 400 h. This study provides a feasible approach to develop terpolymers with antioxidant efficacy for improving the lifetime of OSCs and OPDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyang Zhang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
| | - Ao Song
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiri Huang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunhao Cao
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
| | - Zuiyi Zhong
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
| | - Youcai Liang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunchen Liu
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China.
| | - Fei Huang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yong Cao
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
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3
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Lowrie W, Westbrook RJE, Guo J, Gonev HI, Marin-Beloqui J, Clarke TM. Organic photovoltaics: The current challenges. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:110901. [PMID: 36948814 DOI: 10.1063/5.0139457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Organic photovoltaics are remarkably close to reaching a landmark power conversion efficiency of 20%. Given the current urgent concerns regarding climate change, research into renewable energy solutions is crucially important. In this perspective article, we highlight several key aspects of organic photovoltaics, ranging from fundamental understanding to implementation, that need to be addressed to ensure the success of this promising technology. We cover the intriguing ability of some acceptors to undergo efficient charge photogeneration in the absence of an energetic driving force and the effects of the resulting state hybridization. We explore one of the primary loss mechanisms of organic photovoltaics-non-radiative voltage losses-and the influence of the energy gap law. Triplet states are becoming increasingly relevant owing to their presence in even the most efficient non-fullerene blends, and we assess their role as both a loss mechanism and a potential strategy to enhance efficiency. Finally, two ways in which the implementation of organic photovoltaics can be simplified are addressed. The standard bulk heterojunction architecture could be superseded by either single material photovoltaics or sequentially deposited heterojunctions, and the attributes of both are considered. While several important challenges still lie ahead for organic photovoltaics, their future is, indeed, bright.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Lowrie
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, Christopher Ingold Building, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Robert J E Westbrook
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Junjun Guo
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, Christopher Ingold Building, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Hristo Ivov Gonev
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, Christopher Ingold Building, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Jose Marin-Beloqui
- Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Malaga, Campus Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Tracey M Clarke
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, Christopher Ingold Building, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
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4
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Mannanov AL, Balakirev DO, Papkovskaya ED, Solodukhin AN, Luponosov YN, Paraschuk DY, Ponomarenko SA. Spectrally Selective Full-Color Single-Component Organic Photodetectors Based on Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Molecules. Molecules 2023; 28:368. [PMID: 36615562 PMCID: PMC9823982 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28010368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Photodetectors based on organic materials are attractive due to their tunable spectral response and biocompatibility, meaning that they are a promising platform for an artificial human eye. To mimic the photoelectric response of the human eye, narrowband spectrally-selective organic photodetectors are in great demand, and single-component organic photodetectors based on donor-acceptor conjugated molecules are a noteworthy candidate. In this work, we present single-component selective full-color organic photodetectors based on donor-acceptor conjugated molecules synthetized to mimic the spectral response of the cones and rods of a human eye. The photodetectors demonstrated a high responsivity (up to 70 mA/W) with a response time of less than 1 µs, which is three orders of magnitude faster than that of human eye photoreceptors. Our results demonstrate the possibility of the creation of an artificial eye or photoactive eye "prostheses".
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur L. Mannanov
- Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya St. 70, 117393 Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry O. Balakirev
- Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya St. 70, 117393 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elizaveta D. Papkovskaya
- Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya St. 70, 117393 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander N. Solodukhin
- Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya St. 70, 117393 Moscow, Russia
| | - Yuriy N. Luponosov
- Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya St. 70, 117393 Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry Yu. Paraschuk
- Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya St. 70, 117393 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey A. Ponomarenko
- Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya St. 70, 117393 Moscow, Russia
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5
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Sundaram V, Lyulin AV, Baumeier B. Effect of Solvent Removal Rate and Annealing on the Interface Properties in a Blend of a Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Polymer with Fullerene. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:7445-7453. [PMID: 36122390 PMCID: PMC9527757 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
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We study the effect of solvent-free annealing and explicit
solvent
evaporation protocols in classical molecular dynamics simulations
on the interface properties of a blend of a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)
polymer with conjugated substituents (DPP2Py2T) and PCBM[60]. We specifically
analyze the intramolecular segmental mobility of the different polymer
building blocks as well as intermolecular radial and angular distribution
functions between donor and acceptor. The annealing simulations reveal
an increase of the glass-transition temperature of 45 K in the polymer–fullerene
blend compared to that of pure DPP2Py2T. Our results show that the
effective solvent evaporation rates at room temperature only have
a minor influence on the segmental mobility and intermolecular orientation,
characterized in all cases by a preferential arrangement of PCBM[60]
close to the electron-donating substituents in DPP2Py2T. In contrast,
solvent-free annealing from a liquid yields clustering of the fullerene
close to the electron-withdrawing DPP, generally considered to be
detrimental for application in organic solar cells. We find that the
difference can be attributed to differences in the behavior of 2-hexyldecyl
side-chains, which collapse toward DPP when solvent is explicitly
removed, thereby blocking access of PCBM[60].
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Sundaram
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.,Soft Matter and Biological Physics group, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.,Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Alexey V Lyulin
- Soft Matter and Biological Physics group, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Björn Baumeier
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.,Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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6
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Shaikh J, Congrave DG, Forster A, Minotto A, Cacialli F, Hele TJH, Penfold TJ, Bronstein H, Clarke TM. Intrinsic photogeneration of long-lived charges in a donor-orthogonal acceptor conjugated polymer. Chem Sci 2021; 12:8165-8177. [PMID: 34194707 PMCID: PMC8208312 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc00919b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient charge photogeneration in conjugated polymers typically requires the presence of a second component to act as electron acceptor. Here, we report a novel low band-gap conjugated polymer with a donor/orthogonal acceptor motif: poly-2,6-(4,4-dihexadecyl-4H-cyclopenta [2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene)-alt-2,6-spiro [cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene-4,9'-fluorene]-2',7'-dicarbonitrile, referred to as PCPDT-sFCN. The role of the orthogonal acceptor is to spatially isolate the LUMO from the HOMO, allowing for negligible exchange energy between electrons in these orbitals and minimising the energy gap between singlet and triplet charge transfer states. We employ ultrafast and microsecond transient absorption spectroscopy to demonstrate that, even in the absence of a separate electron acceptor, PCPDT-sFCN shows efficient charge photogeneration in both pristine solution and film. This efficient charge generation is a result of an isoenergetic singlet/triplet charge transfer state equilibrium acting as a reservoir for charge carrier formation. Furthermore, clear evidence of enhanced triplet populations, which form in less than 1 ps, is observed. Using group theory, we show that this ultrafast triplet formation is due to highly efficient, quantum mechanically allowed intersystem crossing between the bright, initially photoexcited local singlet state and the triplet charge transfer state. Remarkably, the free charges that form via the charge transfer state are extraordinarily long-lived with millisecond lifetimes, possibly due to the stabilisation imparted by the spatial separation of PCPDT-sFCN's donor and orthogonal acceptor motifs. The efficient generation of long-lived charge carriers in a pristine polymer paves the way for single-material applications such as organic photovoltaics and photodetectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Shaikh
- Department of Chemistry, University College London Christopher Ingold Building London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | - Daniel G Congrave
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Alex Forster
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Alessandro Minotto
- Department of Physics, University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Franco Cacialli
- Department of Physics, University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Timothy J H Hele
- Department of Chemistry, University College London Christopher Ingold Building London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | - Thomas J Penfold
- Chemistry - School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
| | - Hugo Bronstein
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Tracey M Clarke
- Department of Chemistry, University College London Christopher Ingold Building London WC1H 0AJ UK
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7
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Levitsky A, Schneider SA, Rabkin E, Toney MF, Frey GL. Bridging the thermodynamics and kinetics of temperature-induced morphology evolution in polymer/fullerene organic solar cell bulk heterojunction. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2021; 8:1272-1285. [PMID: 34821920 DOI: 10.1039/d0mh01805h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The performance of organic solar cells (OSC) critically depends on the morphology of the active layer. After deposition, the active layer is in a metastable state and prone to changes that lead to cell degradation. Here, a high efficiency fullerene:polymer blend is used as a model system to follow the temperature-induced morphology evolution through a series of thermal annealing treatments. Electron microscopy analysis of the nano-scale phase evolution during the early stages of thermal annealing revealed that spinodal decomposition, i.e. spontaneous phase separation with no nucleation stage, is possibly responsible for the formation of a fine scale bicontinuous structure. In the later evolution stages, large polycrystalline fullerene aggregates are formed. Optical microscopy and scattering revealed that aggregate-growth follows the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation indicating a heterogeneous transformation process, i.e., through nucleation and growth. These two mechanisms, spinodal decomposition vs. nucleation and growth, are mutually exclusive and their co-existence is surprising. This unexpected observation is resolved by introducing a metastable monotectic phase diagram and showing that the morphology evolution goes through two distinct and consecutive transformation processes where spinodal decomposition of the amorphous donor:acceptor blend is followed by nucleation and growth of crystalline acceptor aggregates. Finally, this unified thermodynamic and kinetic mechanism allows us to correlate the morphology evolution with OSC degradation during thermal annealing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem Levitsky
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
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8
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Lee XY, Waite JR, Yang CH, Pokuri BSS, Joshi A, Balu A, Hegde C, Ganapathysubramanian B, Sarkar S. Fast inverse design of microstructures via generative invariance networks. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 1:229-238. [PMID: 38183201 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-021-00045-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
The problem of the efficient design of material microstructures exhibiting desired properties spans a variety of engineering and science applications. The ability to rapidly generate microstructures that exhibit user-specified property distributions can transform the iterative process of traditional microstructure-sensitive design. We reformulate the microstructure design process using a constrained generative adversarial network (GAN) model. This approach explicitly encodes invariance constraints within GANs to generate two-phase morphologies for photovoltaic applications obeying design specifications: specifically, user-defined short-circuit current density and fill factor combinations. Such invariance constraints can be represented by differentiable, deep learning-based surrogates of full physics models mapping microstructures to photovoltaic properties. Furthermore, we propose a multi-fidelity surrogate that reduces expensive label requirements by a factor of five. Our framework enables the incorporation of expensive or non-differentiable constraints for the fast generation of microstructures (in 190 ms) with user-defined properties. Such proposed physics-aware data-driven methods for inverse design problems can be used to considerably accelerate the field of microstructure-sensitive design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Yeow Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Joshua R Waite
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Chih-Hsuan Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | | | - Ameya Joshi
- Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Aditya Balu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Chinmay Hegde
- Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | | | - Soumik Sarkar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
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9
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Marqués PS, Andrés Castán JM, Habibi AH, Dabos-Seignon S, Richeter S, Mehdi A, Clément S, Blanchard P, Cabanetos C. Synthesis, characterization and use of a POSS-arylamine based push–pull octamer. NEW J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1nj00732g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This article reports on the synthesis and first use of a POSS-arylamine based push–pull octamer as molecular donor in organic solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Ahmad Mehdi
- ICGM
- Univ. Montpellier
- CNRS
- ENSCM
- 34095 Montpellier
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10
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Park S, Kim T, Yoon S, Koh CW, Woo HY, Son HJ. Progress in Materials, Solution Processes, and Long-Term Stability for Large-Area Organic Photovoltaics. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e2002217. [PMID: 33020976 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202002217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Organic solar cells based on bulk heterojunctions (BHJs) are attractive energy-conversion devices that can generate electricity from absorbed sunlight by dissociating excitons and collecting charge carriers. Recent breakthroughs attained by development of nonfullerene acceptors result in significant enhancement in power conversion efficiency (PCEs) exceeding 17%. However, most of researches have focused on pursuing high efficiency of small-area (<1 cm2 ) unit cells fabricated usually with spin coating. For practical application of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) from lab-scale unit cells to industrial products, it is essential to develop efficient technologies that can extend active area of devices with minimized loss of performance and ensured operational stability. In this progress report, an overview of recent advancements in materials and processing technologies is provided for transitioning from small-area laboratory-scale devices to large-area industrial scale modules. First, development of materials that satisfy requirements of high tolerability in active layer thickness and large-area adaptability is introduced. Second, morphology control using various coating techniques in a large active area is discussed. Third, the recent research progress is also underlined for understanding mechanisms of OPV degradation and studies for improving device long-term stability along with reliable evaluation procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungmin Park
- Advanced Photovoltaics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Taehee Kim
- Advanced Photovoltaics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongwon Yoon
- Advanced Photovoltaics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Woo Koh
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Young Woo
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae Jung Son
- Advanced Photovoltaics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
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11
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Sundaram V, Lyulin AV, Baumeier B. Development and Testing of an All-Atom Force Field for Diketopyrrolopyrrole Polymers with Conjugated Substituents. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:11030-11039. [PMID: 33211500 PMCID: PMC7720275 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c06787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
We develop an all-atom force field
for a series of diketopyrrolopyrrole
polymers with two aromatic pyridine substituents and a variable number
of π-conjugated thiophene units in the backbone (DPP2PymT), used as donor materials in organic photovoltaic devices.
Available intrafragment parameterizations of the individual fragment
building blocks are combined with interfragment bonded and nonbonded
parameters explicitly derived from density functional theory calculations.
To validate the force field, we perform classical molecular dynamics
simulations of single polymer chains with m = 1,
2, 3 in good and bad solvents and of melts. We observe the expected
dependence of the chain conformation on the solvent quality, with
the chain collapsing in water, and swelling in chloroform. The glass-transition
temperature for the polymer melts is found to be in the range of 340–370
K. Analysis of the mobility of the conjugated segments in the polymer
backbone reveals two relaxation processes: a fast one with a characteristic
time at room temperature on the order of 10 ps associated with nearly
harmonic vibrations and a slow one on the order of 100 ns associated
with temperature-activated cis–trans transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Sundaram
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.,Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.,Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Alexey V Lyulin
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Björn Baumeier
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.,Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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12
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Kim J, Hou S, Zhao H, Forrest SR. Nanoscale Mapping of Morphology of Organic Thin Films. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:8290-8297. [PMID: 33135904 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We determine precise nanoscale information about the morphologies of several organic thin film structures using Fourier plane imaging microscopy (FIM). We used FIM microscopy to detect the orientation of molecular transition dipole moments from an extremely low density of luminescent dye molecules, which we call "morphology sensors". The orientation of the sensor molecules is driven by the local film structure and thus can be used to determine details of the host morphology without influencing it. We use symmetric planar phosphorescent dye molecules as the sensors that are deposited into the bulk of organic film hosts during the growth. We demonstrate morphological mapping with a depth resolution to a few Ångstroms that is limited by the ability to determine thickness during deposition, along with an in-plane resolution limited by optical diffraction. Furthermore, we monitor morphological changes arising from thermal annealing of metastable organic films that are commonly employed in photonic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jongchan Kim
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Shaocong Hou
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Haonan Zhao
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Stephen R Forrest
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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13
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Alvarez AO, Arcas R, Aranda CA, Bethencourt L, Mas-Marzá E, Saliba M, Fabregat-Santiago F. Negative Capacitance and Inverted Hysteresis: Matching Features in Perovskite Solar Cells. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:8417-8423. [PMID: 32903005 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c02331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Negative capacitance in the low-frequency domain and inverted hysteresis are familiar features in perovskite solar cells, which origin is still under discussion. Here we use impedance spectroscopy to analyze these responses in methylammonium lead bromide cells treated with lithium cations at the electron-selective layer/perovskite interface and in iodide devices exposed to different relative humidity conditions. Employing the surface polarization model, we obtain a time constant associated with the kinetics of the interaction of ions/vacancies with the surface, τkin, in the range of 100-102 s for all the cases exhibiting both features. These interactions lead to a decrease in the overall recombination resistance, modifying the low-frequency perovskite response and yielding a flattening of the cyclic voltammetry. As a consequence of these results we find that negative capacitance and inverted hysteresis lead to a decrease in the fill factor and photovoltage values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin O Alvarez
- Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I, 12006 Castelló, Spain
| | - Ramón Arcas
- Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I, 12006 Castelló, Spain
| | - Clara A Aranda
- IEK-5 Photovoltaics, Forschungzentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Institute für Photovoltaik (IPV), Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Loengrid Bethencourt
- Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I, 12006 Castelló, Spain
- Grupo de Desarrollo de Materiales y Estudios Ambientales, Departamento de Desarrollo Tecnológico, CURE, Universidad de la República, Ruta 9 Km 207, Rocha, Uruguay
| | - Elena Mas-Marzá
- Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I, 12006 Castelló, Spain
| | - Michael Saliba
- IEK-5 Photovoltaics, Forschungzentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Institute für Photovoltaik (IPV), Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
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14
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Cevher SC, Hizalan G, Alemdar Yilmaz E, Cevher D, Udum Arslan Y, Toppare L, Yıldırım E, Cirpan A. A comprehensive study: Theoretical and experimental investigation of heteroatom and substituent effects on frontier orbitals and polymer solar cell performances. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pol.20200513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sevki Can Cevher
- Department of Chemistry Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
| | - Gonul Hizalan
- The Center for Solar Energy Research and Application (GUNAM) Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
| | | | - Duygu Cevher
- Department of Polymer Science and Technology Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
| | | | - Levent Toppare
- Department of Chemistry Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
- The Center for Solar Energy Research and Application (GUNAM) Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
- Department of Polymer Science and Technology Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
- Department of Biotechnology Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
| | - Erol Yıldırım
- Department of Chemistry Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
- Department of Polymer Science and Technology Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
- Department of Micro and Nanotechnology Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
| | - Ali Cirpan
- Department of Chemistry Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
- The Center for Solar Energy Research and Application (GUNAM) Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
- Department of Polymer Science and Technology Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
- Department of Micro and Nanotechnology Middle East Technical University Ankara Turkey
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15
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Yuan Q, Zhang Z, Li L, Agbolaghi S, Mousavi S. Improved stability in
P3HT
:
PCBM
photovoltaics by incorporation of
well‐designed
polythiophene/graphene compositions. POLYM INT 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pi.6024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Zunju Zhang
- Heibei University of Environmental Engineering Qinhuangdao China
| | - Lei Li
- Northeast Petroleum University Qinhuangdao China
| | - Samira Agbolaghi
- Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of EngineeringAzarbaijan Shahid Madani University Tabriz Iran
| | - Saina Mousavi
- Department of ChemistryPayame Noor University Tehran Iran
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16
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Song J, Ye L, Li C, Xu J, Chandrabose S, Weng K, Cai Y, Xie Y, O'Reilly P, Chen K, Zhou J, Zhou Y, Hodgkiss JM, Liu F, Sun Y. An Optimized Fibril Network Morphology Enables High-Efficiency and Ambient-Stable Polymer Solar Cells. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2020; 7:2001986. [PMID: 32999853 PMCID: PMC7509652 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202001986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Morphological stability is crucially important for the long-term stability of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Many high-efficiency PSCs suffer from metastable morphology, resulting in severe device degradation. Here, a series of copolymers is developed by manipulating the content of chlorinated benzodithiophene-4,8-dione (T1-Cl) via a random copolymerization approach. It is found that all the copolymers can self-assemble into a fibril nanostructure in films. By altering the T1-Cl content, the polymer crystallinity and fibril width can be effectively controlled. When blended with several nonfullerene acceptors, such as TTPTT-4F, O-INIC3, EH-INIC3, and Y6, the optimized fibril interpenetrating morphology can not only favor charge transport, but also inhibit the unfavorable molecular diffusion and aggregation in active layers, leading to excellent morphological stability. The work demonstrates the importance of optimization of fibril network morphology in realizing high-efficiency and ambient-stable PSCs, and also provides new insights into the effect of chemical structure on the fibril network morphology and photovoltaic performance of PSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Song
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Linglong Ye
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Chao Li
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Jinqiu Xu
- Department of Polymer Science and EngineeringSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200240P. R. China
| | - Sreelakshmi Chandrabose
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnologyand School of Chemical and Physical SciencesVictoria University of WellingtonWellington6010New Zealand
| | - Kangkang Weng
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Yunhao Cai
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Yuanpeng Xie
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Padraic O'Reilly
- Molecular Vista Inc.6840 Via Del Oro, Suite 110San JoseCA95119USA
| | - Kai Chen
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnologyand School of Chemical and Physical SciencesVictoria University of WellingtonWellington6010New Zealand
| | - Jiajia Zhou
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Yi Zhou
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic MaterialsCollege of ChemistryChemical Engineering and Materials ScienceSoochow UniversitySuzhou215123P. R. China
| | - Justin M. Hodgkiss
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnologyand School of Chemical and Physical SciencesVictoria University of WellingtonWellington6010New Zealand
| | - Feng Liu
- Department of Polymer Science and EngineeringSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200240P. R. China
| | - Yanming Sun
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
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17
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Zhang X, Li Y, Zhang D, Wu G, Zhang H, Zhou J, Li X, Saud-uz-Zafar, Zhang J, Wei Z, Zhou H, Zhang Y. Molecular dispersion enhances photovoltaic efficiency and thermal stability in quasi-bilayer organic solar cells. Sci China Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11426-020-9837-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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18
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In-Situ Energy Dispersive X-ray Reflectivity Applied to Polyoxometalate Films: An Approach to Morphology and Interface Stability Issues in Organic Photovoltaics. Symmetry (Basel) 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sym12081240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic solar cells, characterized by a symmetrical regular layered structure, are very promising systems for developing green, low cost, and flexible solar energy conversion devices. Despite the efficiencies being appealing (over 17%), the technological transfer is still limited by the low durability. Several processes, in bulk and at interface, are responsible. The quick downgrading of the performance is due to a combination of physical and chemical degradations. These phenomena induce instability and a drop of performance in working conditions. Close monitoring of these processes is mandatory to understand the degradation pathways upon device operation. Here, an unconventional approach based on Energy Dispersive X-ray Reflectivity (ED-XRR) performed in-situ is used to address the role of Wells–Dawson polyoxometalate (K6-P2W18O62, hereafter K6-P2W18) as hole transporting layer in organic photovoltaics. The results demonstrate that K6-P2W18 thin films, showing ideal bulk and interface properties and superior optical/morphological stability upon prolonged illumination, are attractive candidates for the interface of durable OPV devices.
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19
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Stability of Non-Flexible vs. Flexible Inverted Bulk-Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells with ZnO as Electron Transport Layer Prepared by a Sol-Gel Spin Coating Method. SURFACES 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/surfaces3030023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In this research, inverted bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (BHJ OSC) with poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl): (6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl (P3HT:PCBM) as the active layer were fabricated by a sol-gel spin coating method using flexible PET and non-flexible glass as substrates. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) and the stability of the cells were investigated. According to the results, the non-flexible device showed higher short circuit current (Jsc) as well as open-circuit voltage (Voc) as compared to the flexible one so that 2.52% and 0.67% PCE for non-flexible and flexible cells were obtained, respectively. From the stability point of view, the non-flexible device maintained 51% of its initial efficiency after six weeks in a dark atmosphere, while it was about 19% for the flexible cell after four weeks. The most important reason for the higher PCE with the higher stability in the non-flexible cell can be attributed to its higher shunt resistance (Rsh) and better interlayer connections at the electron collector side.
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20
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Ben Dkhil S, Perkhun P, Luo C, Müller D, Alkarsifi R, Barulina E, Avalos Quiroz YA, Margeat O, Dubas ST, Koganezawa T, Kuzuhara D, Yoshimoto N, Caddeo C, Mattoni A, Zimmermann B, Würfel U, Pfannmöller M, Bals S, Ackermann J, Videlot-Ackermann C. Direct Correlation of Nanoscale Morphology and Device Performance to Study Photocurrent Generation in Donor-Enriched Phases of Polymer Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:28404-28415. [PMID: 32476409 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c05884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The nanoscale morphology of polymer blends is a key parameter to reach high efficiency in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Thereby, research typically focusing on optimal blend morphologies while studying nonoptimized blends may give insight into blend designs that can prove more robust against morphology defects. Here, we focus on the direct correlation of morphology and device performance of thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-alt-benzodithiophene (PTB7):[6,6]phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blends processed without additives in different donor/acceptor weight ratios. We show that while blends of a 1:1.5 ratio are composed of large donor-enriched and fullerene domains beyond the exciton diffusion length, reducing the ratio below 1:0.5 leads to blends composed purely of polymer-enriched domains. Importantly, the photocurrent density in such blends can reach values between 45 and 60% of those reached for fully optimized blends using additives. We provide here direct visual evidence that fullerenes in the donor-enriched domains are not distributed homogeneously but fluctuate locally. To this end, we performed compositional nanoscale morphology analysis of the blend using spectroscopic imaging of low-energy-loss electrons using a transmission electron microscope. Charge transport measurement in combination with molecular dynamics simulations shows that the fullerene substructures inside the polymer phase generate efficient electron transport in the polymer-enriched phase. Furthermore, we show that the formation of densely packed regions of fullerene inside the polymer phase is driven by the PTB7:PC71BM enthalpy of mixing. The occurrence of such a nanoscale network of fullerene clusters leads to a reduction of electron trap states and thus efficient extraction of photocurrent inside the polymer domain. Suitable tuning of the polymer-acceptor interaction can thus introduce acceptor subnetworks in polymer-enriched phases, improving the tolerance for high-efficiency BHJ toward morphological defects such as donor-enriched domains exceeding the exciton diffusion length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadok Ben Dkhil
- Aix Marseille Univ., UMR CNRS 7325, CINaM, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Pavlo Perkhun
- Aix Marseille Univ., UMR CNRS 7325, CINaM, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Chieh Luo
- Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Heidenhofstr. 2, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - David Müller
- Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Heidenhofstr. 2, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Riva Alkarsifi
- Aix Marseille Univ., UMR CNRS 7325, CINaM, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Elena Barulina
- Aix Marseille Univ., UMR CNRS 7325, CINaM, 13288 Marseille, France
- Dracula Technologies, 4 Rue Georges Auric, 26000 Valence, France
| | | | - Olivier Margeat
- Aix Marseille Univ., UMR CNRS 7325, CINaM, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Stephan Thierry Dubas
- The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Tomoyuki Koganezawa
- Industrial Application Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Daiki Kuzuhara
- Department of Physical Science and Materials Engineering, Iwate University, Ueda, Morioka 020 8551, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Yoshimoto
- Department of Physical Science and Materials Engineering, Iwate University, Ueda, Morioka 020 8551, Japan
| | - Claudia Caddeo
- Istituto Officina dei Material (CNR-IOM), UOS Cagliari SLACS, Cittadella Universitaria, I-09042 Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mattoni
- Istituto Officina dei Material (CNR-IOM), UOS Cagliari SLACS, Cittadella Universitaria, I-09042 Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Birger Zimmermann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Heidenhofstr. 2, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Uli Würfel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Heidenhofstr. 2, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Materials Research Center FMF, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Martin Pfannmöller
- Electron Microscopy for Materials Research (EMAT), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sara Bals
- Electron Microscopy for Materials Research (EMAT), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jörg Ackermann
- Aix Marseille Univ., UMR CNRS 7325, CINaM, 13288 Marseille, France
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21
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Bonasera A, Giuliano G, Arrabito G, Pignataro B. Tackling Performance Challenges in Organic Photovoltaics: An Overview about Compatibilizers. Molecules 2020; 25:E2200. [PMID: 32397234 PMCID: PMC7248780 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25092200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic Photovoltaics (OPVs) based on Bulk Heterojunction (BHJ) blends are a mature technology. Having started their intensive development two decades ago, their low cost, processability and flexibility rapidly funneled the interest of the scientific community, searching for new solutions to expand solar photovoltaics market and promote sustainable development. However, their robust implementation is hampered by some issues, concerning the choice of the donor/acceptor materials, the device thermal/photo-stability, and, last but not least, their morphology. Indeed, the morphological profile of BHJs has a strong impact over charge generation, collection, and recombination processes; control over nano/microstructural morphology would be desirable, aiming at finely tuning the device performance and overcoming those previously mentioned critical issues. The employ of compatibilizers has emerged as a promising, economically sustainable, and widely applicable approach for the donor/acceptor interface (D/A-I) optimization. Thus, improvements in the global performance of the devices can be achieved without making use of more complex architectures. Even though several materials have been deeply documented and reported as effective compatibilizing agents, scientific reports are quite fragmentary. Here we would like to offer a panoramic overview of the literature on compatibilizers, focusing on the progression documented in the last decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelio Bonasera
- Department of Physics and Chemistry-Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, viale delle Scienze, bdg. 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.A.)
- INSTM-Palermo Research Unit, viale delle Scienze, bdg. 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuliana Giuliano
- Department of Physics and Chemistry-Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, viale delle Scienze, bdg. 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.A.)
| | - Giuseppe Arrabito
- Department of Physics and Chemistry-Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, viale delle Scienze, bdg. 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.A.)
| | - Bruno Pignataro
- Department of Physics and Chemistry-Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, viale delle Scienze, bdg. 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.A.)
- INSTM-Palermo Research Unit, viale delle Scienze, bdg. 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy
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22
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Srivastava SB, Modi MH, Ghosh SK, Singh SP. Investigation of the buried planar interfaces in multi-layered inverted organic solar cells using x-ray reflectivity and impedance spectroscopy. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2019; 31:124003. [PMID: 30641510 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/aafe38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The hole and electron extracting interlayers in the organic solar cells (OSCs) play an important role in high performing devices. The present work focuses on an investigation of Zinc oxide/bulk heterojunction (ZnO/BHJ) and BHJ/MoO x (Molybdenum oxide) buried planar interfaces in inverted OSC devices using the optical contrast in various layers along with the electrical measurements. The x-ray reflectivity (XRR) analysis demonstrates the formation of additional intermixing layers at the interfaces of ZnO/BHJ and BHJ/MoO x . Our results indicate infusion of PC71BM into ZnO layer up to ~4 nm which smoothen the ZnO/BHJ interface. In contrast, thermally evaporated MoO x molecules diffuse into PTB7-Th dominant upper layers of BHJ active layer resulting in an intermixed layer at the interface of MoO x /BHJ. The high recombination resistance (~5 kΩ cm2) and electron lifetime (~70 μs), obtained from the impedance spectroscopy (IS), support such vertical segregation of PTB7-Th and PC71BM in the active layer. The OSC devices, processed in ambient condition, exhibit high power conversion efficiency of 6.4%. We consider our results have great significance to understand the structure of buried planar interfaces at interlayers and their correlation with the electrical parameters representing various interfacial mechanisms of OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashi B Srivastava
- Department of Physics, Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Buddha Nagar 201314, India
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23
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Sherafatipour G, Benduhn J, Patil BR, Ahmadpour M, Spoltore D, Rubahn HG, Vandewal K, Madsen M. Degradation pathways in standard and inverted DBP-C 70 based organic solar cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4024. [PMID: 30858539 PMCID: PMC6412045 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40541-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Achieving long-term stability in organic solar cells is a remaining bottleneck for the commercialization of this otherwise highly appealing technology. In this work, we study the performance and stability differences in standard and inverted DBP/C70 based organic solar cells. Differences in the charge-transfer state properties of inverted and standard configuration DBP/C70 solar cells are revealed by sensitive external quantum efficiency measurements, leading to differences in the open-circuit voltages of the devices. The degradation of standard and inverted solar cell configurations at ISOS aging test conditions (ISOS-D-3 and ISOS-T-3) was investigated and compared. The results indicate that the performance drop in the small molecule bilayer solar cells is less related to changes at the D-A interface, suggesting also a pronounced morphological stability, and instead, in the case of inverted cells, dominated by degradation at the electron transport layer (ETL) bathocuproine (BCP). Photoluminescence measurements, electron-only-device characteristics, and stability measurements show improved exciton blocking, electron transport properties and a higher stability for BCP/Ag ETL stacks, giving rise to inverted devices with enhanced performance and device stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Golnaz Sherafatipour
- SDU NanoSYD, Mads Clausen Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark
| | - Johannes Benduhn
- Dresden Integrated Center for Applied Physics and Photonic Materials (IAPP) and Institute for Applied Physics Technische Universität Dresden Nöthnitzer Str. 61, 01187, Dresden, Germany
| | - Bhushan R Patil
- SDU NanoSYD, Mads Clausen Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark
| | - Mehrad Ahmadpour
- SDU NanoSYD, Mads Clausen Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark
| | - Donato Spoltore
- Dresden Integrated Center for Applied Physics and Photonic Materials (IAPP) and Institute for Applied Physics Technische Universität Dresden Nöthnitzer Str. 61, 01187, Dresden, Germany
| | - Horst-Günter Rubahn
- SDU NanoSYD, Mads Clausen Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark
| | - Koen Vandewal
- Dresden Integrated Center for Applied Physics and Photonic Materials (IAPP) and Institute for Applied Physics Technische Universität Dresden Nöthnitzer Str. 61, 01187, Dresden, Germany.,Institute for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Morten Madsen
- SDU NanoSYD, Mads Clausen Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark.
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24
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Suárez MB, Aranda C, Macor L, Durantini J, Heredia DA, Durantini EN, Otero L, Guerrero A, Gervaldo M. Perovskite solar cells with versatile electropolymerized fullerene as electron extraction layer. Electrochim Acta 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2018.09.196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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25
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Chen X, Wang J, Shao P, Liu Q, Liu D, Chen Q, Li Y, Li J, He D. Excellent Light Confinement of Hemiellipsoid- and Inverted Hemiellipsoid-Modified Semiconductor Nanowire Arrays. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2018; 13:236. [PMID: 30112714 PMCID: PMC6093829 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-018-2659-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we introduce hemiellipsoid- and inverted hemiellipsoid-modified semiconductor nanowire (NW) optical structures, and present a systematic investigation on light management of the corresponding arrays based on GaAs. It is found that the modification makes well utilization of light scattering and antireflection, thus leading to excellent light confinement with limited effective thickness. For example, 90% and 95% of the incident photons with the energy larger than the bandgap energy can be trapped by the inverted hemiellipsoid-modified NW arrays with the effective thicknesses of only ~ 180 and 270 nm, respectively. Moreover, excellent light confinement can be achieved in a broad range of the modification height. Compared to the corresponding array without top modification, spatial distribution of the photo-generated carriers is expanded, facilitating carrier collection especially for the planar pn junction configuration. Further investigation indicates that these composite nanostructures possess excellent omnidirectional light confinement, which is expected for advanced solar absorbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Chen
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, and School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China
| | - Jiang Wang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, and School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China
| | - Pengfei Shao
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, and School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China
| | - Qiming Liu
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, and School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China
| | - Dequan Liu
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, and School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China
| | - Qiang Chen
- Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Department of Electronic Science, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005 China
| | - Yali Li
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, and School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China
| | - Junshuai Li
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, and School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China
| | - Deyan He
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Optical Conversion Materials and Technology, Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, and School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000 China
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Lee EK, Lee MY, Park CH, Lee HR, Oh JH. Toward Environmentally Robust Organic Electronics: Approaches and Applications. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2017; 29:1703638. [PMID: 28960531 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201703638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Recent interest in flexible electronics has led to a paradigm shift in consumer electronics, and the emergent development of stretchable and wearable electronics is opening a new spectrum of ubiquitous applications for electronics. Organic electronic materials, such as π-conjugated small molecules and polymers, are highly suitable for use in low-cost wearable electronic devices, and their charge-carrier mobilities have now exceeded that of amorphous silicon. However, their commercialization is minimal, mainly because of weaknesses in terms of operational stability, long-term stability under ambient conditions, and chemical stability related to fabrication processes. Recently, however, many attempts have been made to overcome such instabilities of organic electronic materials. Here, an overview is provided of the strategies developed for environmentally robust organic electronics to overcome the detrimental effects of various critical factors such as oxygen, water, chemicals, heat, and light. Additionally, molecular design approaches to π-conjugated small molecules and polymers that are highly stable under ambient and harsh conditions are explored; such materials will circumvent the need for encapsulation and provide a greater degree of freedom using simple solution-based device-fabrication techniques. Applications that are made possible through these strategies are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Kwang Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Moo Yeol Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Cheol Hee Park
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Hae Rang Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Joon Hak Oh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Korea
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Thermally Stable Bulk Heterojunction Prepared by Sequential Deposition of Nanostructured Polymer and Fullerene. Polymers (Basel) 2017; 9:polym9090456. [PMID: 30965759 PMCID: PMC6418660 DOI: 10.3390/polym9090456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A morphologically-stable polymer/fullerene heterojunction has been prepared by minimizing the intermixing between polymer and fullerene via sequential deposition (SqD) of a polymer and a fullerene solution. A low crystalline conjugated polymer of PCPDTBT (poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta [2,1-b;3,4-b']dithiophene)-alt-4,7(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)]) has been utilized for the polymer layer and PC71BM (phenyl-C71-butyric-acid-methyl ester) for the fullerene layer, respectively. Firstly, a nanostructured PCPDTBT bottom layer was developed by utilizing various additives to increase the surface area of the polymer film. The PC71BM solution was prepared by dissolving it in the 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), exhibiting a lower vapor pressure and slower diffusion into the polymer layer. The deposition of the PC71BM solution on the nanostructured PCPDTBT layer forms an inter-digitated bulk heterojunction (ID-BHJ) with minimized intermixing. The organic photovoltaic (OPV) device utilizing the ID-BHJ photoactive layer exhibits a highly reproducible solar cell performance. In spite of restricted intermixing between the PC71BM and the PCPDTBT, the efficiency of ID-BHJ OPVs (3.36%) is comparable to that of OPVs (3.87%) prepared by the conventional method (deposition of a blended solution of polymer:fullerene). The thermal stability of the ID-BHJ is superior to the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) prepared by the conventional method. The ID-BHJ OPV maintains 70% of its initial efficiency after thermal stress application for twelve days at 80 °C, whereas the conventional BHJ OPV maintains only 40% of its initial efficiency.
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