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Tang H, Bai Y, Zhao H, Qin X, Hu Z, Zhou C, Huang F, Cao Y. Interface Engineering for Highly Efficient Organic Solar Cells. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2212236. [PMID: 36867581 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202212236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Organic solar cells (OSCs) have made dramatic advancements during the past decades owing to the innovative material design and device structure optimization, with power conversion efficiencies surpassing 19% and 20% for single-junction and tandem devices, respectively. Interface engineering, by modifying interface properties between different layers for OSCs, has become a vital part to promote the device efficiency. It is essential to elucidate the intrinsic working mechanism of interface layers, as well as the related physical and chemical processes that manipulate device performance and long-term stability. In this article, the advances in interface engineering aimed to pursue high-performance OSCs are reviewed. The specific functions and corresponding design principles of interface layers are summarized first. Then, the anode interface layer, cathode interface layer in single-junction OSCs, and interconnecting layer of tandem devices are discussed in separate categories, and the interface engineering-related improvements on device efficiency and stability are analyzed. Finally, the challenges and prospects associated with application of interface engineering are discussed with the emphasis on large-area, high-performance, and low-cost device manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Tang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Yuanqing Bai
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Haiyang Zhao
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Xudong Qin
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Zhicheng Hu
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Cheng Zhou
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Fei Huang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Yong Cao
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, 510640, China
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Chen J. Advanced Electron Microscopy of Nanophased Synthetic Polymers and Soft Complexes for Energy and Medicine Applications. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 11:2405. [PMID: 34578720 PMCID: PMC8470047 DOI: 10.3390/nano11092405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
After decades of developments, electron microscopy has become a powerful and irreplaceable tool in understanding the ionic, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and other functional performances of next-generation polymers and soft complexes. The recent progress in electron microscopy of nanostructured polymers and soft assemblies is important for applications in many different fields, including, but not limited to, mesoporous and nanoporous materials, absorbents, membranes, solid electrolytes, battery electrodes, ion- and electron-transporting materials, organic semiconductors, soft robotics, optoelectronic devices, biomass, soft magnetic materials, and pharmaceutical drug design. For synthetic polymers and soft complexes, there are four main characteristics that differentiate them from their inorganic or biomacromolecular counterparts in electron microscopy studies: (1) lower contrast, (2) abundance of light elements, (3) polydispersity or nanomorphological variations, and (4) large changes induced by electron beams. Since 2011, the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been working with numerous facility users on nanostructured polymer composites, block copolymers, polymer brushes, conjugated molecules, organic-inorganic hybrid nanomaterials, organic-inorganic interfaces, organic crystals, and other soft complexes. This review crystalizes some of the essential challenges, successes, failures, and techniques during the process in the past ten years. It also presents some outlooks and future expectations on the basis of these works at the intersection of electron microscopy, soft matter, and artificial intelligence. Machine learning is expected to automate and facilitate image processing and information extraction of polymer and soft hybrid nanostructures in aspects such as dose-controlled imaging and structure analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihua Chen
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
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Seibers ZD, Collier GS, Hopkins BW, Boone ES, Le TP, Gomez ED, Kilbey SM. Tuning fullerene miscibility with porphyrin-terminated P3HTs in bulk heterojunction blends. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:9769-9779. [PMID: 33000857 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01244k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Understanding and manipulating the miscibility of donor and acceptor components in the active layer morphology is important to optimize the longevity of organic photovoltaic devices and control power conversion efficiency. In pursuit of this goal, a "porphyrin-capped" poly(3-hexylthiophene) was synthesized to take advantage of strong porphyrin:fullerene intermolecular interactions that modify fullerene miscibility in the active layer. End-functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) was synthesized via catalyst transfer polymerization and subsequently functionalized with a porphyrin moiety via post-polymerization modification. UV-vis spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements show that the porphyrin-functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) exhibits increased intermolecular interactions with phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) in the solid state compared to unfunctionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) without sacrificing microstructure ordering that facilitates optimal charge transport properties. Additionally, differential scanning calorimetry revealed porphyrin-functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) crystallization decreased only slightly (1-6%) compared to unfunctionalized poly(3-hexylthiophenes) while increasing fullerene miscibility by 55%. Preliminary organic photovoltaic device results indicate device power conversion efficiency is sensitive to additive loading levels, as evident by a slight increase in power conversion efficiency at low additive loading levels but a continuous decrease with increased loading levels. While the increased fullerene miscibility is not balanced with significant increases in power conversion efficiency, this approach suggests that integrating non-bonded interaction potentials is a useful pathway for manipulating the morphology of the bulk heterojunction thin film, and porphyrin-functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophenes) may be useful additives in that regard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zach D Seibers
- Department of Energy Science & Engineering, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
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Zajac G, Machalska E, Kaczor A, Kessler J, Bouř P, Baranska M. Structure of supramolecular astaxanthin aggregates revealed by molecular dynamics and electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 20:18038-18046. [PMID: 29932184 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp01742e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular aggregation is omnipresent in nature and important for metabolic processes or in medical treatment; however, the phenomenon is rather difficult to predict or understand on the basis of computational models. Recently, we found that electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy and closely related resonance Raman optical activity (RROA) are extremely sensitive to the aggregation mechanism and structure of the astaxanthin dye. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum chemical (QC) computations (ZIndo/S, TDDFT) are used to link the aggregate structure with ECD spectral shapes. Realistic absorption and ECD intensities were obtained and the simulations reproduced many trends observed experimentally, such as the prevalent sign pattern and dependence of the aggregate structure on the solvent type. The computationally cheaper ZIndo/S method provided results very similar to those obtained by TDDFT. In the future, the accuracy of the combined MD/QC methodology of spectra interpretation should be improved to provide more detailed information on astaxanthin aggregates and similar macromolecular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz Zajac
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, Krakow 30-387, Poland.
| | - Ewa Machalska
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, Krakow 30-387, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Kaczor
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, Krakow 30-387, Poland. and Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics (JCET), Jagiellonian University, Bobrzynskiego 14, Krakow 30-348, Poland
| | - Jiří Kessler
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, Prague, 16610, Czech Republic.
| | - Petr Bouř
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo náměstí 2, Prague, 16610, Czech Republic.
| | - Malgorzata Baranska
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, Krakow 30-387, Poland. and Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics (JCET), Jagiellonian University, Bobrzynskiego 14, Krakow 30-348, Poland
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Giussi JM, Cortez ML, Marmisollé WA, Azzaroni O. Practical use of polymer brushes in sustainable energy applications: interfacial nanoarchitectonics for high-efficiency devices. Chem Soc Rev 2019; 48:814-849. [PMID: 30543263 DOI: 10.1039/c8cs00705e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The discovery and development of novel approaches, materials and manufacturing processes in the field of energy are compelling increasing recognition as a major challenge for contemporary societies. The performance and lifetime of energy devices are critically dependent on nanoscale interfacial phenomena. From the viewpoint of materials design, the improvement of current technologies inevitably relies on gaining control over the complex interface between dissimilar materials. In this sense, interfacial nanoarchitectonics with polymer brushes has seen growing interest due to its potential to overcome many of the limitations of energy storage and conversion devices. Polymer brushes offer a broad variety of resources to manipulate interfacial properties and gain molecular control over the synergistic combination of materials. Many recent examples show that the rational integration of polymer brushes in hybrid nanoarchitectures greatly improves the performance of energy devices in terms of power density, lifetime and stability. Seen in this light, polymer brushes provide a new perspective from which to consider the development of hybrid materials and devices with improved functionalities. The aim of this review is therefore to focus on what polymer brush-based solutions can offer and to show how the practical use of surface-grafted polymer layers can improve the performance and efficiency of fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, organic radical batteries, supercapacitors, photoelectrochemical cells and photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan M Giussi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET, Diagonal 113 y 64 (1900), La Plata, Argentina.
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Heinrich CD, Reichstein PM, Thelakkat M. Synthesis, Surface Grafting, and Fabrication of Ultrathin Polymeric SAMFETs with High Field-Effect Mobility. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:35441-35448. [PMID: 30246519 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b11662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Densely surface-grafted monolayer (3-4 nm) poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) brushes are prepared by click chemistry. For this, P3HT chains with alkyne end groups were synthesized and chemically coupled to a surface-immobilized self-assembled monolayer (SAM) having azide functionality in an organic field-effect transistor channel. The grafted P3HT-alkyne with a molecular weight of Mn,MALDI = 11 400 g mol-1 ( Mn,SEC = 17 400 g mol-1) and a narrow distribution of Đ = 1.15, has the highest reported molecular weight for surface-immobilized P3HT brushes. We show the successful grafting of P3HT on the substrate surface with atomic force microscopy, contact angle, and absorption studies. From the film thickness, we can calculate the reduced tethered densities of ∑ = 10.3-12.1, which is indicative of the monolayers being in the true brush regime with high grafting density that is enough to form a compact self-assembled monolayer. The aggregation behavior of the films is characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and compared to linear P3HT and a bottlebrush copolymer polystyrene- g-P3HT (PS- g-P3HT) with similar P3HT lengths. For such an SAM-based organic field-effect transistor (SAMFET) nanodevice with an ultrathin P3HT layer of 3-4 nm, a very high field-effect mobility of up to 1.8 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1 is achieved in channel lengths of 5-20 μm, which is nearly 2 orders of magnitude higher than reported values for polymer-based SAMFETs.
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Ahn SK, Nam J, Zhu J, Lee E, Michael Kilbey S. Solution self-assembly of poly(3-hexylthiophene)–poly(lactide) brush copolymers: impact of side chain arrangement. Polym Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1039/c8py00627j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Solution self-assembly of P3HT-containing copolymers was tailored effectively via bottlebrush architecture, particularly by tuning its side chain arrangement as well as copolymer composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suk-kyun Ahn
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering
- Pusan National University
- Busan
- Republic of Korea
| | - Jinwoo Nam
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology
- Chungnam National University
- Daejeon 34134
- Republic of Korea
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
| | - Jiahua Zhu
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Oak Ridge
- USA
| | - Eunji Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
- Gwangju 61005
- Republic of Korea
| | - S. Michael Kilbey
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- University of Tennessee
- Knoxville
- USA
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Wang Y, Hong M, Bailey TS, Chen EYX. Brush Polymer of Donor-Accepter Dyads via Adduct Formation between Lewis Base Polymer Donor and All Carbon Lewis Acid Acceptor. Molecules 2017; 22:E1564. [PMID: 28927009 PMCID: PMC6151805 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22091564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A synthetic method that taps into the facile Lewis base (LB)→Lewis acid (LA) adduct forming reaction between the semiconducting polymeric LB and all carbon LA C60 for the construction of covalently linked donor-acceptor dyads and brush polymer of dyads is reported. The polymeric LB is built on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) macromers containing either an alkyl or vinyl imidazolium end group that can be readily converted into the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) LB site, while the brush polymer architecture is conveniently constructed via radical polymerization of the macromer P3HT with the vinyl imidazolium chain end. Simply mixing of such donor polymeric LB with C60 rapidly creates linked P3HT-C60 dyads and brush polymer of dyads in which C60 is covalently linked to the NHC junction connecting the vinyl polymer main chain and the brush P3HT side chains. Thermal behaviors, electronic absorption and emission properties of the resulting P3HT-C60 dyads and brush polymer of dyads have been investigated. The results show that a change of the topology of the P3HT-C60 dyad from linear to brush architecture enhances the crystallinity and Tm of the P3HT domain and, along with other findings, they indicate that the brush polymer architecture of donor-acceptor domains provides a promising approach to improve performances of polymer-based solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1872, USA.
- School of Fundamental Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China.
| | - Miao Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Travis S Bailey
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1370, USA.
| | - Eugene Y-X Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1872, USA.
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Ahn SK, Carrillo JMY, Keum JK, Chen J, Uhrig D, Lokitz BS, Sumpter BG, Michael Kilbey S. Nanoporous poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin film structures from self-organization of a tunable molecular bottlebrush scaffold. NANOSCALE 2017; 9:7071-7080. [PMID: 28422265 DOI: 10.1039/c7nr00015d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to widely tune the design of macromolecular bottlebrushes provides access to self-assembled nanostructures formed by microphase segregation in melt, thin film and solution that depart from structures adopted by simple linear copolymers. A series of random bottlebrush copolymers containing poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(d,l-lactide) (PLA) side chains grafted on a poly(norbornene) backbone were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using the grafting through approach. P3HT side chains induce a physical aggregation of the bottlebrush copolymers upon solvent removal by vacuum drying, primarily driven by attractive π-π interactions; however, the amount of aggregation can be controlled by adjusting side chain composition or by adding linear P3HT chains to the bottlebrush copolymers. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations reveal that linear P3HT chains preferentially associate with P3HT side chains of bottlebrush copolymers, which tends to reduce the aggregation. The nanoscale morphology of microphase segregated thin films created by casting P3HT-PLA random bottlebrush copolymers is highly dependent on the composition of P3HT and PLA side chains, while domain spacing of nanostructures is mainly determined by the length of the side chains. The selective removal of PLA side chains under alkaline conditions generates nanoporous P3HT structures that can be tuned by manipulating molecular design of the bottlebrush scaffold, which is affected by molecular weight and grafting density of the side chains, and their sequence. The ability to exploit the unusual architecture of bottlebrushes to fabricate tunable nanoporous P3HT thin film structures may be a useful way to design templates for optoelectronic applications or membranes for separations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suk-Kyun Ahn
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
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Yin Z, Wei J, Zheng Q. Interfacial Materials for Organic Solar Cells: Recent Advances and Perspectives. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2016; 3:1500362. [PMID: 27812480 PMCID: PMC5067618 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201500362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Organic solar cells (OSCs) have shown great promise as low-cost photovoltaic devices for solar energy conversion over the past decade. Interfacial engineering provides a powerful strategy to enhance efficiency and stability of OSCs. With the rapid advances of interface layer materials and active layer materials, power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of both single-junction and tandem OSCs have exceeded a landmark value of 10%. This review summarizes the latest advances in interfacial layers for single-junction and tandem OSCs. Electron or hole transporting materials, including metal oxides, polymers/small-molecules, metals and metal salts/complexes, carbon-based materials, organic-inorganic hybrids/composites, and other emerging materials, are systemically presented as cathode and anode interface layers for high performance OSCs. Meanwhile, incorporating these electron-transporting and hole-transporting layer materials as building blocks, a variety of interconnecting layers for conventional or inverted tandem OSCs are comprehensively discussed, along with their functions to bridge the difference between adjacent subcells. By analyzing the structure-property relationships of various interfacial materials, the important design rules for such materials towards high efficiency and stable OSCs are highlighted. Finally, we present a brief summary as well as some perspectives to help researchers understand the current challenges and opportunities in this emerging area of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhigang Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter Chinese Academy of Sciences 155 Yangqiao Road West Fuzhou Fujian 350002 P. R. China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences 19 Yuquan Road Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Jiajun Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter Chinese Academy of Sciences 155 Yangqiao Road West Fuzhou Fujian 350002 P. R. China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences 19 Yuquan Road Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Qingdong Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter Chinese Academy of Sciences 155 Yangqiao Road West Fuzhou Fujian 350002 P. R. China
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Carrillo JMY, Seibers Z, Kumar R, Matheson MA, Ankner JF, Goswami M, Bhaskaran-Nair K, Shelton WA, Sumpter BG, Kilbey SM. Petascale Simulations of the Morphology and the Molecular Interface of Bulk Heterojunctions. ACS NANO 2016; 10:7008-22. [PMID: 27299676 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b03009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how additives interact and segregate within bulk heterojunction (BHJ) thin films is critical for exercising control over structure at multiple length scales and delivering improvements in photovoltaic performance. The morphological evolution of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blends that are commensurate with the size of a BHJ thin film is examined using petascale coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Comparisons between two-component and three-component systems containing short P3HT chains as additives undergoing thermal annealing demonstrate that the short chains alter the morphology in apparently useful ways: they efficiently migrate to the P3HT/PCBM interface, increasing the P3HT domain size and interfacial area. Simulation results agree with depth profiles determined from neutron reflectometry measurements that reveal PCBM enrichment near substrate and air interfaces but a decrease in that PCBM enrichment when a small amount of short P3HT chains are integrated into the BHJ blend. Atomistic simulations of the P3HT/PCBM blend interfaces show a nonmonotonic dependence of the interfacial thickness as a function of number of repeat units in the oligomeric P3HT additive, and the thiophene rings orient parallel to the interfacial plane as they approach the PCBM domain. Using the nanoscale geometries of the P3HT oligomers, LUMO and HOMO energy levels calculated by density functional theory are found to be invariant across the donor/acceptor interface. These connections between additives, processing, and morphology at all length scales are generally useful for efforts to improve device performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Michael Y Carrillo
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Zach Seibers
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Rajeev Kumar
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Michael A Matheson
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - John F Ankner
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Monojoy Goswami
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Kiran Bhaskaran-Nair
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - William A Shelton
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Bobby G Sumpter
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - S Michael Kilbey
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, ‡Computer Science and Mathematics Division, §National Center for Computational Sciences, and ∥Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering and @Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
- Center for Computation and Technology and #Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
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12
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Dang H, Singh VP. Nanowire CdS-CdTe Solar Cells with Molybdenum Oxide as Contact. Sci Rep 2015; 5:14859. [PMID: 26439839 PMCID: PMC4594302 DOI: 10.1038/srep14859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a 10 nm thick molybdenum oxide (MoO3−x) layer as a transparent and low barrier contact to p-CdTe, we demonstrate nanowire CdS-CdTe solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 11% under front side illumination. Annealing the as-deposited MoO3 film in N2 resulted in a reduction of the cell’s series resistance, from 9.97 Ω/cm2 to 7.69 Ω/cm2, and increase in efficiency from 9.9% to 11%. Under illumination from the back, the MoO3−x/Au side, the nanowire solar cells yielded Jsc of 21 mA/cm2 and efficiency of 8.67%. Our results demonstrate use of a thin layer transition metal oxide as a potential way for a transparent back contact to nanowire CdS-CdTe solar cells. This work has implications toward enabling a novel superstrate structure nanowire CdS-CdTe solar cell on Al foil substrate by a low cost roll-to roll fabrication process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Dang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CeNSE), University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506-0046, USA
| | - Vijay P Singh
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CeNSE), University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506-0046, USA
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13
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Murugan P, Krishnamurthy M, Jaisankar SN, Samanta D, Mandal AB. Controlled decoration of the surface with macromolecules: polymerization on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). Chem Soc Rev 2015; 44:3212-43. [PMID: 25839067 DOI: 10.1039/c4cs00378k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Polymer functionalized surfaces are important components of various sensors, solar cells and molecular electronic devices. In this context, the use of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formation and subsequent reactions on the surface have attracted a lot of interest due to its stability, reliability and excellent control over orientation of functional groups. The chemical reactions to be employed on a SAM must ensure an effective functional group conversion while the reaction conditions must be mild enough to retain the structural integrity. This synthetic constraint has no universal solution; specific strategies such as "graft from", "graft to", "graft through" or "direct" immobilization approaches are employed depending on the nature of the substrate, polymer and its area of applications. We have reviewed current developments in the methodology of immobilization of a polymer in the first part of the article. Special emphasis has been given to the merits and demerits of certain methods. Another issue concerns the utility - demonstrated or perceived - of conjugated or non-conjugated macromolecules anchored on a functionally decorated SAM in the areas of material science and biotechnology. In the last part of the review article, we looked at the collective research efforts towards SAM-based polymer devices and identified major pointers of progress (236 references).
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Affiliation(s)
- P Murugan
- Polymer Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-CLRI, Adyar, Chennai-600020, India.
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14
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Tang FC, Wu FC, Yen CT, Chang J, Chou WY, Gilbert Chang SH, Cheng HL. A nanoscale study of charge extraction in organic solar cells: the impact of interfacial molecular configurations. NANOSCALE 2015; 7:104-112. [PMID: 25325829 DOI: 10.1039/c4nr03176h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In the optimization of organic solar cells (OSCs), a key problem lies in the maximization of charge carriers from the active layer to the electrodes. Hence, this study focused on the interfacial molecular configurations in efficient OSC charge extraction by theoretical investigations and experiments, including small molecule-based bilayer-heterojunction (sm-BLHJ) and polymer-based bulk-heterojunction (p-BHJ) OSCs. We first examined a well-defined sm-BLHJ model system of OSC composed of p-type pentacene, an n-type perylene derivative, and a nanogroove-structured poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (NS-PEDOT) hole extraction layer. The OSC with NS-PEDOT shows a 230% increment in the short circuit current density compared with that of the conventional planar PEDOT layer. Our theoretical calculations indicated that small variations in the microscopic intermolecular interaction among these interfacial configurations could induce significant differences in charge extraction efficiency. Experimentally, different interfacial configurations were generated between the photo-active layer and the nanostructured charge extraction layer with periodic nanogroove structures. In addition to pentacene, poly(3-hexylthiophene), the most commonly used electron-donor material system in p-BHJ OSCs was also explored in terms of its possible use as a photo-active layer. Local conductive atomic force microscopy was used to measure the nanoscale charge extraction efficiency at different locations within the nanogroove, thus highlighting the importance of interfacial molecular configurations in efficient charge extraction. This study enriches understanding regarding the optimization of the photovoltaic properties of several types of OSCs by conducting appropriate interfacial engineering based on organic/polymer molecular orientations. The ultimate power conversion efficiency beyond at least 15% is highly expected when the best state-of-the-art p-BHJ OSCs are combined with present arguments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu-Ching Tang
- Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
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15
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Davis AR, Carter KR. Surface grafting of vinyl-functionalized poly(fluorene)s via thiol-ene click chemistry. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2014; 30:4427-4433. [PMID: 24689503 DOI: 10.1021/la5000588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Thiol-ene chemistry is used for the surface grafting of vinyl-functionalized poly(fluorene) derivatives onto substrates containing free surface thiol groups. The grafting reaction proceeds in a matter of minutes under UV irradiation without photoinitiator, and the resulting surface-bound, solvent-impervious conjugated polymers retain their characteristic optoelectronic properties. End-chain grafted poly(fluorene)s reach greater surface densities than their side-chain grafted counterparts and show less blue-shifting of photoluminescence upon grafting, suggesting that chain end-grafted conjugated polymers experience less disruption of their extended conjugation and adopt a more brush-like surface conformation. Surface grafted poly(fluorene)s showed facile photopatterning, and thin film transistors with semiconducting polymers directly grafted to the dielectric layer showed performances directly comparable to conventional self-assembled layers of performance-improving alkylsilanes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Davis
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst , 120 Governors Dr., Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
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16
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Ahn SK, Pickel DL, Kochemba WM, Chen J, Uhrig D, Hinestrosa JP, Carrillo JM, Shao M, Do C, Messman JM, Brown WM, Sumpter BG, Kilbey SM. Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Molecular Bottlebrushes via Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization: Macromolecular Architecture Enhanced Aggregation. ACS Macro Lett 2013; 2:761-765. [PMID: 35606964 DOI: 10.1021/mz4003563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We report a facile synthetic strategy based on a grafting through approach to prepare well-defined molecular bottlebrushes composed of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rr-P3HT) as the conjugated polymeric side chain. To this end, the exo-norbornenyl-functionalized P3HT macromonomer was synthesized by Kumada catalyst transfer polycondensation (KCTP) followed by postpolymerization modifications, and the resulting conjugated macromonomer was successfully polymerized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) in a controlled manner. The P3HT molecular bottlebrushes display an unprecedented strong physical aggregation upon drying during recovery, as verified by several analyses of the solution and solid states. This remarkably strong aggregation behavior is attributed to a significant enhancement in the number of π-π interactions between grafted P3HT side chains, brought about due to the bottlebrush architecture. This behavior is qualitatively supported by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - W. Michael Kochemba
- Department
of Chemistry and
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - S. Michael Kilbey
- Department
of Chemistry and
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
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