Influence of nanomorphology on the photovoltaic action of polymer–fullerene composites

Chirvase, D.; Parisi, J.; Hummelen, Jan C.; Dyakonov, Vladimir

doi:10.1088/0957-4484/15/9/035

Cited by 715 publications

(584 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…This peak corresponds to the a-axis orientation, with the main polymer chain parallel and the side chains perpendicular to the substrate [29]. It is observed that the films annealed at different temperatures in air and Ar atmospheres result in improved diffraction peaks, indicating an improvement of the degree of crystallization of the P3HT structure [30]. However, annealing at higher temperature (150 °C) demonstrated a decrease in the diffraction peaks of both films annealed in air and Ar atmospheres due to a slight disordering in the P3HT structure.…”

Section: Results and Discussion X-ray Diffractionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Comparative study: the effect of annealing conditions on the properties of P3HT:PCBM blends

et al. 2012

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This paper presents a detailed study on the role of various annealing treatments on organic poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6]-phenyl-C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester blends under different experimental conditions. A combination of analytical tools is used to study the alteration of the phase separation, structure and photovoltaic properties of the P3HT:PCBM blend during the annealing process. Results showed that the thermal annealing yields PCBM ''needle-like'' crystals and that prolonged heat treatment leads to extensive phase separation, as demonstrated by the growth in the size and quantity of PCBM crystals. The substrate annealing method demonstrated an optimal morphology by eradicating and suppressing the formation of fullerene clusters across the film, resulting in longer P3HT fibrils with smaller diameter. Improved optical constants, PL quenching and a decrease in the P3HT optical bad-gap were demonstrated for the substrate annealed films due to the limited diffusion of the PCBM molecules. An effective strategy for determining an optimized morphology through substrate annealing treatment is therefore revealed for improved device efficiency. IntroductionOrganic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells have attracted significant attention due to their great potential for large-area, light-weight, flexible, and low-cost devices [1][2][3][4]. Recently, OPV research has been dominated by the poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6]-phenyl C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT: PCBM) blend reaching power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 5-7 % [5,6]. Most recently a record PCE of about 8.13 and 8.5 % has been reported [7, 8]. Despite recent achievements, improvement in PCEs, stability and lifetime of the devices are necessary before organic solar cells become commercially viable [9][10][11]. The PCE of the solar cells based on the P3HT/fullerene system depends strongly on the processing conditions [12] and can be improved by increasing the crystalline content of the P3HT. Different approaches have been suggested for the optimization of the morphology, such as thermal annealing [5,6,[13][14][15]

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Section: Results and Discussion X-ray Diffractionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Comparative study: the effect of annealing conditions on the properties of P3HT:PCBM blends

et al. 2012

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“…Previous research has shown that high regio-regular (RR) P3HT performs better in BHJ solar cells, 36 due, in part, to the strong interchain interactions, which leads to better absorption and structural order, resulting in a higher hole-mobility. It was also observed that when the P3HT:PCBM blend ratio is $1:1 or 1:0.8, the blends gave the best device performance, 37,38 due, in part, to the ease in forming a cocontinuous morphology. Yet, processing conditions and postprocessing treatments will also largely affect the device performance.…”

Section: Morphology Study Based On P3htmentioning

confidence: 98%

On the morphology of polymer‐based photovoltaics

Liu

Jung

et al. 2012

J Polym Sci B Polym Phys

308

248

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We review the morphologies of polymer-based solar cells and the parameters that govern the evolution of the morphologies and describe different approaches to achieve the optimum morphology for a BHJ OPV. While there are some distinct differences, there are also some commonalities. It is evident that morphology and the control of the morphology are important for device performance and, by controlling the thermodynamics, in particular, the interactions of the components, and by controlling kinetic parameters, like the rate of solvent evaporation, crystallization and phase separation, optimized morphologies for a given system can be achieved. While much research has focused on P3HT, it is evident that a clearer understanding of the morphology and the evolution of the morphology in low bad gap polymer systems will increase the efficiency further. While current OPVs are on the verge of breaking the 10% barrier, manipulating and controlling the morphology will still be key for device optimization and, equally important, for the fabrication of these devices in an industrial setting.

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“…A substantial improvement in the PCE of P3HT:PCBM based solar cells has been obtained by thermal annealing at around 140 1C, and the favourable influence of annealing on blend film microstructure and solar cell performance is well documented. [50][51][52][53] The mechanism by which current density and PCE increase upon thermal annealing in P3HT:PCBM is not known precisely but it is believed to involve increased optical absorption and improved charge transport, both due to polymer crystallization, as well as improved charge pair separation efficiency, due to optimized phase segregation. Some of the literature is reviewed below.…”

Section: Thermal Annealingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of blend microstructure on bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic performance

et al. 2011

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This tutorial review discusses the factors influencing blend microstructure and performance in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells.Please check this proof carefully. Our staff will not read it in detail after you have returned it. Translation errors between word-processor files and typesetting systems can occur so the whole proof needs to be read. Please pay particular attention to: tabulated material; equations; numerical data; figures and graphics; and references. If you have not already indicated the corresponding author(s) please mark their name(s) with an asterisk. Please e-mail a list of corrections or the PDF with electronic notes attached --do not change the text within the PDF file or send a revised manuscript.Please bear in mind that minor layout improvements, e.g. in line breaking, table widths and graphic placement, are routinely applied to the final version.Please note that, in the typefaces we use, an italic vee looks like this: n, and a Greek nu looks like this: n.We will publish articles on the web as soon as possible after receiving your corrections; no late corrections will be made.Please return your final corrections, where possible within 48 hours of receipt, by e-mail to: chemsocrev@rsc.org Reprints-Electronic (PDF) reprints will be provided free of charge to the corresponding author. Enquiries about purchasing paper reprints should be addressed via: http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ReSourCe/PaperReprints/. Costs for reprints are below: Q3The sentence beginning ''For example it has been shown. . .'' has been altered for clarity, please check that the meaning is correct. Q4The citation to ' Fig. 8(a)' in the sentence beginning 'Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. . .' has been changed to ' Fig. 10(a)' as the text appears to discuss ' Fig. 10(a)'. Please check that this is correct. Q5The citation to ' Fig. 8(b)' in the sentence beginning 'Upon annealing, P3HT chains begin to crystallize. . .' has been changed to ' Fig The performance of organic photovoltaic devices based upon bulk heterojunction blends of donor and acceptor materials has been shown to be highly dependent on the thin film microstructure. In this tutorial review, we discuss the factors responsible for influencing blend microstructure and how these affect device performance. In particular we discuss how various molecular design approaches can affect the thin film morphology of both the donor and acceptor components, as well as their blend microstructure. We further examine the influence of polymer molecular weight and blend composition upon device performance, and discuss how a variety of processing techniques can be used to control the blend microstructure, leading to improvements in solar cell efficiencies.

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Influence of nanomorphology on the photovoltaic action of polymer–fullerene composites

Cited by 715 publications

References 27 publications

Comparative study: the effect of annealing conditions on the properties of P3HT:PCBM blends

Comparative study: the effect of annealing conditions on the properties of P3HT:PCBM blends

On the morphology of polymer‐based photovoltaics

Influence of blend microstructure on bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic performance

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