In−situ monitoring Poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanowire formation and shape evolution in solution via small angle neutron scattering

Bastianini, Francesco; Pérez, Gonzalo L.; Hobson, Adam; Rogers, Sarah E.; Parnell, Andrew J.; Grell, Martin; Gutiérrez, Alfredo Flores; Dunbar, Alan D. F.

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2019.110128

Cited by 16 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Figure a–c shows the transmission spectra of the block copolymers where the three characteristic vibronic shoulders of P3HT films at λ = 520 nm, λ = 554 nm, and at λ = 610 nm can be immediately identified. [ 74,75 ] This is expected since the block copolymer contains P3HT. It is worth noting that PSS absorbs in the ultraviolet region (λ < 300 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum [ 76 ] and therefore, does not show in these spectra.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Improved Performance and Stability of Organic Solar Cells by the Incorporation of a Block Copolymer Interfacial Layer

Pérez

Erothu

Topham

et al. 2020

Adv Materials Inter

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good mechanical flexibility, and low-cost fabrication. [1-3] Low power conversion efficiency (PCE), one of the main challenges for OSCs, has been gradually overcome by the synthesis of specifically tuned donor materials [4] such as PTB7, [5] PffBT4T-2OD, [6] PBDTTT-EFT, [7] PBDB-T-Cl, [8] and light absorbing nonfullerene acceptors [9] such as TPB, [10] ITIC, [11] IT-4F, [12] BTPTT-4F, [13] BTP-4Cl, [14] and Y6 [15] achieving PCEs between 10% and 16%. Recently, a PCE of 18.22% for an OSC was reported, clearly demonstrating their promising future. [16] Despite this enticing progress, the relatively low stability of OSCs compared to other commercially available photovoltaic devices such as crystalline silicon remains the major challenge for the successful commercialization of OSC technology. [17-20] Therefore, the development of methodologies that simultaneously improve the efficiency and stability of OSCs can significantly contribute to their progress toward large-scale production. In this proof-ofconcept study, a new approach to achieving this dual aim in OSCs is demonstrated. By specifically designing and incorporating an interfacial block copolymer layer whose two different blocks are selectively compatible with the photoactive layer and In a proof-of-concept study, this work demonstrates that incorporating a specifically designed block copolymer as an interfacial layer between a charge transport layer and the photoactive layer in organic solar cells can enhance the interface between these layers leading to both performance and stability improvements of the device. This is achieved by incorporating a P3HT 50-b-PSS x block copolymer as an interfacial layer between the hole transporting and photoactive layers, which results in the improvement of the interfacial roughness, energy level alignment, and stability between these layers. Specifically, the incorporation of a 10 nm P3HT 50-b-PSS 16 and a 13 nm P3HT 50-b-PSS 23 interfacial layer results in a 9% and a 12% increase in device efficiency respectively compared to the reference devices. In addition to having a higher initial efficiency, the devices with the block copolymer continue to have a higher normalized efficiency than the control devices after 2200 h of storage, demonstrating that the block copolymer not only improves device efficiency, but crucially, prevents degradation by stabilizing the interface between the hole transporting layer and the photoactive layer. This study proves that appropriately designed and optimized block copolymers can simultaneously stabilize and improve the efficiency of organic solar cells.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Improved Performance and Stability of Organic Solar Cells by the Incorporation of a Block Copolymer Interfacial Layer

Pérez

Erothu

Topham

et al. 2020

Adv Materials Inter

Self Cite

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“…Although a flow field is inevitably applied during P3HT processing, a few theoretical and experimental contributions have been dedicated to the flow‐induced conformation transition of P3HT in solution. It is generally accepted that the coil‐to‐rod transition and π‐π stacking of the rods during the P3HT crystallization process lead to a bathochromic shift in the UV‐vis absorption peak and the appearance of new vibrational peaks . Figure shows the UV‐vis spectra of a pristine solution, a resided solution, and a sheared solution of P3HT in toluene with the concentration as 0.04 mg/mL.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bastianini et al investigated the aging‐driven formation and evolution of P3HT nanostructures in chlorobenzene solution using small‐angle neutron scattering and UV‐vis spectroscopy. They found the initial states for P3HT chains were the random coils, then the coil straightened to form rods, these rods subsequently π‐π stacked to form two‐dimensional lamellae, which further stacked to create nanowires . Currently, coil‐to‐rod transition and π‐π stacking of the rods are widely accepted as two elemental processes of P3HT crystallization in solution .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They found the initial states for P3HT chains were the random coils, then the coil straightened to form rods, these rods subsequently π‐π stacked to form two‐dimensional lamellae, which further stacked to create nanowires . Currently, coil‐to‐rod transition and π‐π stacking of the rods are widely accepted as two elemental processes of P3HT crystallization in solution . However, the detailed thermodynamic mechanism of these two processes and crystallization kinetics have so far remained ambiguous.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microfluidic shear‐induced conformational transition and crystallization of P3HT in toluene

Liu

et al. 2019

Polymer Crystallization

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Very few studies have reported a shear-induced conformational transition and formation of a flow-induced precursor (FIP) of conjugated polymers in solution. In this work, a microfluidic shear system was used to apply shear on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in toluene. The ultraviolet-visible spectrum verifies that microfluidic shear can induce the coil-to-rod transition of P3HT in a dilute toluene solution. When the concentration of rod-like segments is above a certain threshold, interchain π-π stacking of the rods spontaneously happens in the sheared solution. Studying the isothermal crystallization of P3HT at 16 C in the sheared solution shows that crystallization occurs after some relaxation of the π-π stacking of the rods, suggesting that the π-π stacked rods are not the nuclei or crystals of P3HT and thereby verifying that shear-induced π-π stacked rods are mesomorphic; namely, they are FIPs. Shear temperature is an important parameter for determining the amount of FIP. The amount of FIP dramatically affects the crystallization kinetics, dispersion, amount, and intrachain ordering of P3HT nanofiber when P3HT isothermally crystallized at 12 C in toluene. K E Y W O R D Scoil-to-rod conformation transition, crystallization, flow-induced precursor (FIP), microfluidic shear, shear temperature

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“…Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) can be used to study the microstructure, especially size, shape and dynamics of their components. [114,117,170,171] Dadmun et al [164] using the SANS to characterize the morphology and aggregation of the PCPDTBT:PCBM blends in different solvent annealing conditions. Due to the significant differences between PCPDTBT and PCBM in scattering length density, the scattering profile of Figure 5G showed that the scattering strength of as-cast film (AC) is very weak, which suggests that the film is homogeneous and the phase separation is not obvious, while the scattering pattern of the blends with the solvent annealing by oDCB exhibit enhanced scattering, indicating a phase separation of the fullerene and polymer in the blend.…”

Section: Characterization Tools Of Aggregated Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Control of aggregated structure of photovoltaic polymers for high‐efficiency solar cells

et al. 2021

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π-Conjugated organic/polymer materials-based solar cells have attracted tremendous research interest in the fields of chemistry, physics, materials science, and energy science. To date, the best-performance polymer solar cells (PSCs) have achieved power conversion efficiencies exceeding 18%, mostly driven by the molecular design and device structure optimization of the photovoltaic materials. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the key advances and current status in aggregated structure research of PSCs. Here, we start by providing a brief tutorial on the aggregated structure of photovoltaic polymers. The characteristic parameters at different length scales and the associated characterization techniques are overviewed. Subsequently, a variety of effective strategies to control the aggregated structure of photovoltaic polymers are discussed for polymer:fullerene solar cells and polymer:nonfullerene small molecule solar cells. Particularly, the control strategies for achieving record efficiencies in each type of PSCs are highlighted. More importantly, the in-depth structure-performance relationships are demonstrated with selected examples. Finally, future challenges and research prospects on understanding and optimizing the aggregated structure of photovoltaic polymers and their blends are provided.

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In−situ monitoring Poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanowire formation and shape evolution in solution via small angle neutron scattering

Cited by 16 publications

References 75 publications

Improved Performance and Stability of Organic Solar Cells by the Incorporation of a Block Copolymer Interfacial Layer

Improved Performance and Stability of Organic Solar Cells by the Incorporation of a Block Copolymer Interfacial Layer

Microfluidic shear‐induced conformational transition and crystallization of P3HT in toluene

Control of aggregated structure of photovoltaic polymers for high‐efficiency solar cells

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