A new semiconducting polymer, PDPP3T, with alternating diketopyrrolopyrrole and terthiophene units is presented. PDPP3T has a small band gap of 1.3 eV and exhibits nearly balanced hole and electron mobilities of 0.04 and 0.01 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), respectively, in field-effect transistors (FETs). By the combination of two identical ambipolar transistors, an inverter was constructed that exhibits a gain of approximately 30. When PDPP3T was combined with [60]PCBM or [70]PCBM in a 1:2 weight ratio, photovoltaic cells were made that provide a photoresponse up to 900 nm and an AM1.5 power conversion efficiency of 3.8 or 4.7%, respectively. In contrast to the almost constant FET mobility, the efficiency of the photovoltaic cells was found to be strongly dependent on the molecular weight of PDPP3T and the use of diiodooctane as a processing agent.

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Small band gap copolymers based on furan and diketopyrrolopyrrole for field-effect transistors and photovoltaic cells Bijleveld, Johan C.; Karsten, Bram P.; Mathijssen, Simon G.J.; Wienk, Martijn M.; Leeuw, Dago M. de; Janssen, René A.J.

In the search of new electron acceptor, n-type materials for organic solar cells that combine a strong absorption over a broad range with good electrical characteristics, the use of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivatives with low reduction potentials is explored. A series of small molecule DPP derivatives is presented and the compounds are tested as electron acceptors in combination with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the donor material. Working photovoltaic devices are obtained that show a photoresponse in the wavelength region where the DPP molecules absorb. The best device shows a power conversion efficiency of 0.31% in simulated solar light, with a photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of ∼10% up to 700 nm. The efficiency seems to be limited by the coarse morphology of the blend.