Enhancement of efficiency in organic photovoltaic devices containing self-complementary hydrogen-bonding domains

Abstract

SummarySelf-complementary hydrogen-bonding domains were incorporated as the electron deficient unit in “push–pull”, p-type small molecules for organic photovoltaic active layers. Such compounds were found to enhance the fill factor, compared with similar non-self-organized compounds reported in the literature, leading to higher device efficiencies. Evidence is presented that the ability of these molecules to form one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded chains and subsequently exhibit hierarchical self-assembly into nanostructured domains can be correlated with improved device efficiency.

Tuning the Optical and Self‐Assembly Properties of Diketopyrrolopyrrole Semicarbazone Derivatives through Hydrogen Bonding

“…Furthermore, the number, position and strength can deeply impact the self‐assembly processes, influencing the final properties. Hydrogen bonds have been used in several types of organic electronic devices, such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs),, organic field effect transistors (OFETs), and solar cells . In these examples, the hydrogen bonds afforded better connection among semiconductors, and thus very appropriate structures for charge transport.…”

“…Hydrogen bonds have been used in several types of organic electronic devices, such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), [12,13] organic field effect transistors (OFETs) [14,15] and solar cells. [16][17][18][19][20][21] In these examples, the hydrogen bonds afforded better connection among semiconductors, and thus very appropriate structures for charge transport.3,6-diaryl-2,5-dihydro-1,4-diketopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole (DPP) [22,23] has gained recently a lot of attention in the field of organic electronics due to its good electronic properties. [24] A plethora of DPP derivatives comprising small molecules [25] and polymers [26] have been studied.…”

“…Hydrogen bonds have been used in several types of organic electronic devices, such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), [12,13] organic field effect transistors (OFETs) [14,15] and solar cells. [16][17][18][19][20][21] In these examples, the hydrogen bonds afforded better connection among semiconductors, and thus very appropriate structures for charge transport.…”

Hydrogen bond directed assembly of oligothiophene/fullerene superstructures on Au(111)

“…We [17], and others [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26], are attempting to use directed hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) interactions to rationally control the assembly of molecular electron donors in BHJ OPVs. Our specific goal is to allow tailored self-complementary H-bonding between p-conjugated oligomers to work synergistically with p-stacking to improve the nanoscale morphology of donor-C 60 blends [17].…”

Enhancement in Organic Photovoltaic Efficiency through the Synergistic Interplay of Molecular Donor Hydrogen Bonding and π‐Stacking

“…On the other hand, to what extent H‐bonding might be universally advantageous in the more complex two‐component BHJ OPV environment is unclear, and literature reports suggest that the outcomes are mixed and design dependent. For the systems involving self‐complementary H‐bonding interactions between molecular donors (in the presence of fullerene acceptors), including our own, improvements in crystallinity, V OC , fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE) have been noted . However, H‐bonding has been linked to diminished OPV performance as a consequence of unfavorable BHJ morphology in nearly as many scenarios .…”