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Hajduk B, Jarka P, Bednarski H, Godzierz M, Tański T, Staszuk M, Nitschke P, Jarząbek B, Fijalkowski M, Mazik K. Thermal and optical properties of P3HT:PC70BM:ZnO nanoparticles composite films. Sci Rep 2024; 14:66. [PMID: 38168143 PMCID: PMC10762108 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47134-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The results of studies on the influence of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) on the structural, thermal and optical properties of thin films of mixtures of phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with poly[3-hexylthiophene] (P3HT) of various molecular weights are described in this article. The structural properties of the layers of: polymers, mixtures of polymers with fullerenes and their composites with ZnO-NPs were investigated using X-ray diffraction. Whereas their glass transition temperature and optical parameters have been determined by temperature-dependent spectroscopic ellipsometry. The presence of ZnO-NPs was also visible in the images of the surface of the composite layers obtained using scanning electron microscopy. These blends and composite films have also been used as the active layer in bulk heterojunction photovoltaic structures. The molecular weight of P3HT (Mw = 65.2; 54.2 and 34.1 kDa) and the addition of nanoparticles affected the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the obtained solar cells. The determined PCE was the highest for the device prepared from the blend of P3HT:PCBM with the polymer of the lowest molecular weight. However, solar cells with ZnO-NPs present in their active layer had lower efficiency, although the open-circuit voltage and fill factor of almost all devices had the same values whether they contained ZnO-NPs or not. It is worth noting that thermal studies carried out using temperature-dependent ellipsometry showed a significant effect of the presence of ZnO-NPs on the value of the glass transition temperature, which was higher for composite films than for films made of a polymer-fullerene blend alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Hajduk
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Str., 41-819, Zabrze, Poland.
| | - P Jarka
- Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of Technology, 18a Konarskiego Str., 41-100, Gliwice, Poland.
| | - H Bednarski
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Str., 41-819, Zabrze, Poland
| | - M Godzierz
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Str., 41-819, Zabrze, Poland
| | - T Tański
- Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of Technology, 18a Konarskiego Str., 41-100, Gliwice, Poland
| | - M Staszuk
- Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of Technology, 18a Konarskiego Str., 41-100, Gliwice, Poland
| | - P Nitschke
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Str., 41-819, Zabrze, Poland
| | - B Jarząbek
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Str., 41-819, Zabrze, Poland
| | - M Fijalkowski
- Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation, Technical University of Liberec, Studentská 1402/2, 461 17, Liberec, Czech Republic
| | - K Mazik
- Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of Technology, 18a Konarskiego Str., 41-100, Gliwice, Poland
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Hajduk B, Jarka P, Bednarski H, Tański T. Variable Temperature Spectroscopic Ellipsometry as a Tool for Insight into the Optical Order in the P3HT:PC70BM and PC70BM Layers. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:3752. [PMID: 37765605 PMCID: PMC10535426 DOI: 10.3390/polym15183752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Two combined ellipsometric techniques-variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) and variable temperature spectroscopic ellipsometry (VTSE)-were used as tools to study the surface order and dielectric properties of thin films of a poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) mixture with a fullerene derivative (6,6-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester) (PC70BM). Under the influence of annealing, a layer of the ordered PC70BM phase was formed on the surface of the blend films. The dielectric function of the ordered PC70BM was determined for the first time and used in the ellipsometric modeling of the physical properties of the P3HT:PC70BM blend films, such as their dielectric function and thickness. The applied ellipsometric optical model of the polymer-fullerene blend treats the components of the blend as a mixture of optically ordered and disordered phases, using the effective medium approximation for this purpose. The results obtained using the constructed model showed that a layer of the ordered PC70BM phase was formed on the surface of the layer of the polymer and fullerene mixture. Namely, as a result of thermal annealing, the thickness of the layer of the ordered fullerene phase increased, while the thickness of the underlying material layer decreased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Hajduk
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Str., 41-819 Zabrze, Poland;
| | - Paweł Jarka
- Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18a, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland; (P.J.); (T.T.)
| | - Henryk Bednarski
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Str., 41-819 Zabrze, Poland;
| | - Tomasz Tański
- Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18a, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland; (P.J.); (T.T.)
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Nguyen TD, Nguyen VH, Song J, An J, Truong NT, Dang CH, Im C. Molecular Weight-Dependent Physical and Photovoltaic Properties of Poly(3-alkylthiophene)s with Butyl, Hexyl, and Octyl Side-Chains. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:3440. [PMID: 34641255 PMCID: PMC8512356 DOI: 10.3390/polym13193440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A series of poly-3-alkylthiophenes (P3ATs) with butyl (P3BT), hexyl (P3HT), and octyl (P3OT) side-chains and well-defined molecular weights (MWs) were synthesized using Grignard metathesis polymerization. The MWs of P3HTs and P3OTs obtained via gel permeation chromatography agreed well with the calculated MWs ranging from approximately 10 to 70 kDa. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the crystalline melting temperature increased with increasing MWs and decreasing alkyl side-chain length, whereas the crystallinity of the P3ATs increased with the growth of MWs. An MW-dependent red shift was observed in the UV-Vis and photoluminiscence spectra of the P3ATs in solution, which might be a strong evidence for the extended effective conjugation occurring in polymers with longer chain lengths. The photoluminescence quantum yields of pristine films in all polymers were lower than those of the diluted solutions, whereas they were higher than those of the phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester-blended films. The UV-Vis spectra of the films showed fine structures with pronounced red shifts, and the interchain interaction-induced features were weakly dependent on the MW but significantly dependent on the alkyl side-chain length. The photovoltaic device performances of the P3BT and P3HT samples significantly improved upon blending with a fullerene derivative and subsequent annealing, whereas those of P3OTs mostly degraded, particularly after annealing. The optimal power conversion efficiencies of P3BT, P3HT, and P3OT were 2.4%, 3.6%, and 1.5%, respectively, after annealing with MWs of ~11, ~39, and ~38 kDa, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh-Danh Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea; (T.-D.N.); (V.-H.N.); (J.S.); (J.A.); (N.-T.T.)
- Institute of Chemical Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 1A TL29 Street, Thanh Loc Ward, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam;
| | - Van-Hai Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea; (T.-D.N.); (V.-H.N.); (J.S.); (J.A.); (N.-T.T.)
| | - Jongwoo Song
- Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea; (T.-D.N.); (V.-H.N.); (J.S.); (J.A.); (N.-T.T.)
| | - Jongdeok An
- Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea; (T.-D.N.); (V.-H.N.); (J.S.); (J.A.); (N.-T.T.)
| | - Ngoc-Thuan Truong
- Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea; (T.-D.N.); (V.-H.N.); (J.S.); (J.A.); (N.-T.T.)
| | - Chi-Hien Dang
- Institute of Chemical Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 1A TL29 Street, Thanh Loc Ward, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam;
| | - Chan Im
- Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea; (T.-D.N.); (V.-H.N.); (J.S.); (J.A.); (N.-T.T.)
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Haslinger MJ, Sivun D, Pöhl H, Munkhbat B, Mühlberger M, Klar TA, Scharber MC, Hrelescu C. Plasmon-Assisted Direction- and Polarization-Sensitive Organic Thin-Film Detector. NANOMATERIALS 2020; 10:nano10091866. [PMID: 32957705 PMCID: PMC7559313 DOI: 10.3390/nano10091866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Utilizing Bragg surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on metal nanostructures for the use in optical devices has been intensively investigated in recent years. Here, we demonstrate the integration of nanostructured metal electrodes into an ITO-free thin film bulk heterojunction organic solar cell, by direct fabrication on a nanoimprinted substrate. The nanostructured device shows interesting optical and electrical behavior, depending on angle and polarization of incidence and the side of excitation. Remarkably, for incidence through the top electrode, a dependency on linear polarization and angle of incidence can be observed. We show that these peculiar characteristics can be attributed to the excitation of dispersive and non-dispersive Bragg SPPs on the metal–dielectric interface on the top electrode and compare it with incidence through the bottom electrode. Furthermore, the optical and electrical response can be controlled by the organic photoactive material, the nanostructures, the materials used for the electrodes and the epoxy encapsulation. Our device can be used as a detector, which generates a direct electrical readout and therefore enables the measuring of the angle of incidence of up to 60° or the linear polarization state of light, in a spectral region, which is determined by the active material. Our results could furthermore lead to novel organic Bragg SPP-based sensor for a number of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Haslinger
- PROFACTOR GmbH, Functional Surfaces and Nanostructures, 4407 Steyr-Gleink, Austria;
- Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University, 4040 Linz, Austria; (D.S.); (H.P.); (B.M.); (T.A.K.); (C.H.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +43-7252-885-422
| | - Dmitry Sivun
- Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University, 4040 Linz, Austria; (D.S.); (H.P.); (B.M.); (T.A.K.); (C.H.)
- School of Medical Engineering and Applied Social Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Garnisonstraße 21, 4020 Linz, Austria
| | - Hannes Pöhl
- Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University, 4040 Linz, Austria; (D.S.); (H.P.); (B.M.); (T.A.K.); (C.H.)
| | - Battulga Munkhbat
- Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University, 4040 Linz, Austria; (D.S.); (H.P.); (B.M.); (T.A.K.); (C.H.)
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Michael Mühlberger
- PROFACTOR GmbH, Functional Surfaces and Nanostructures, 4407 Steyr-Gleink, Austria;
| | - Thomas A. Klar
- Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University, 4040 Linz, Austria; (D.S.); (H.P.); (B.M.); (T.A.K.); (C.H.)
| | - Markus C. Scharber
- Linz Institute for Organic Solar Cells/Institute of Physical Chemistry, Johannes Kepler University, 4040 Linz, Austria;
| | - Calin Hrelescu
- Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University, 4040 Linz, Austria; (D.S.); (H.P.); (B.M.); (T.A.K.); (C.H.)
- School of Physics and CRANN, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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