Quantitative Determination of Organic Semiconductor Microstructure from the Molecular to Device Scale

Rivnay, Jonathan; Mannsfeld, Stefan C. B.; Miller, Cynthia A.; Salleo, Alberto; Toney, Michael F.

doi:10.1021/cr3001109

Cited by 1,227 publications

(1,426 citation statements)

References 218 publications

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“…[35][36][37] In situ GIWAXS measurements suggest that, in all ternary blends, P3HT crystallization appears at the very end of solvent evaporation, as characterized by a sharp increase in scattering intensity associated with P3HT lamellar stacking and a sharp decrease in solvent scattering intensity (Figures S2a and S2b). 35,38 The unperturbed P3HT crystallization can be understood by the fact that P3HT reaches supersaturation in solution and starts to crystallize earlier than all of the other components, which is further supported by in-situ UV-vis absorption measurements performed during spin coating ( Figure S3). 38 GIWAXS measurements performed on as-cast and thermally annealed (130C) films are also summarized in Figures S2c and S2d, respectively.…”

Section: Morphology Picture Of the Ternary Blendsmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…35,38 The unperturbed P3HT crystallization can be understood by the fact that P3HT reaches supersaturation in solution and starts to crystallize earlier than all of the other components, which is further supported by in-situ UV-vis absorption measurements performed during spin coating ( Figure S3). 38 GIWAXS measurements performed on as-cast and thermally annealed (130C) films are also summarized in Figures S2c and S2d, respectively. The crystalline correlation length (CCL) and the relative crystallinity of the P3HT phase for each of the ternary blends have been calculated in Table S2.…”

Section: Morphology Picture Of the Ternary Blendsmentioning

confidence: 69%

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Reducing the efficiency–stability–cost gap of organic photovoltaics with highly efficient and stable small molecule acceptor ternary solar cells

et al. 2016

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Technological deployment of organic photovoltaic modules requires improvements in device light-conversion efficiency and stability while keeping material costs low. Here we demonstrate highly efficient and stable solar cells using a ternary approach, wherein two non-fullerene acceptors are combined with both a scalable and affordable donor polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), and a high efficiency, low band-gap polymer in a single-layer bulk-heterojunction devices. The addition of a strongly absorbing small molecule acceptor into a P3HT-based non-fullerene blend increases the device efficiency up to 7.7 ± 0.1% without any solvent additives. The improvement is assigned to changes in microstructure that reduces charge recombination and increases the photovoltage, and to improved light harvesting across the visible region. The stability of P3HT-based devices in ambient conditions is also significantly improved relative to polymer:fullerene devices. Combined with a low band gap donor polymer (PBDTTT-EFT, also known as PCE10), the two mixed acceptors also lead to solar cells with 11.0 ± 0.4% efficiency and a high open-circuit voltage of 1.03 ± 0.01V.Currently, the materials used in organic photovoltaics (OPV) are dominated by fullerene acceptors in combination with low band gap donor polymers which typically require complex and multi-step syntheses. [1][2][3][4][5] However, the commercialization of OPV requires the availability of inexpensive materials in large quantities such as poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). P3HT is readily scalable via flow or micro-reactor synthesis, even using 'green' solvents, whilst retaining a high degree of control over molecular weight and regioregularity. 6 The P3HT:60PCBM blend exhibits one of the most robust microstructures within OPV. [7][8][9] However, it has a limited open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short-circuit current (Jsc) in photovoltaic devices. 10 We have recently shown that solar cells using an alternative small molecule non-fullerene acceptor (NFA), IDTBR, when mixed with P3HT, can achieve power conversion efficiencies of up to 6.4%. 11 These results have revived interest in the use of P3HT for high performing devices and non-fullerene acceptors. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The combination of stability, cost and performance for P3HT:NFA devices, make them a compelling choice for commercialization of OPV compared to devices using fullerenes, for which the high costs and energy involved are prohibitive for large scale production.Recently, multi-component heterojunctions (ternary or more) have emerged as a promising strategy to overcome the power conversion efficiency (PCE) bottleneck associated with binary bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. 3,4,[19][20][21][22][23]24 However, simultaneous increase in the Voc, Jsc and FF is a challenge in the ternary approach because of the trade-off between photocurrent and voltage. 23,25,26 Reports show ternary blends using fullerene acceptors, where the Voc is increased using a second acceptor (A2) with a higher electron affin...

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Section: Morphology Picture Of the Ternary Blendsmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Morphology Picture Of the Ternary Blendsmentioning

confidence: 69%

Reducing the efficiency–stability–cost gap of organic photovoltaics with highly efficient and stable small molecule acceptor ternary solar cells

et al. 2016

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“…We characterized the structure order of PBDTS‐Se and SdiPBI‐S in neat and BHJ films using grazing incidence X‐ray diffraction (GIXD) 35, 36. The 2D diffraction images are shown in Figure 3 a–d, from which the crystalline ordering and crystal orientation in thin films can be accessed.…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

High‐Performance Non‐Fullerene Organic Solar Cells Based on a Selenium‐Containing Polymer Donor and a Twisted Perylene Bisimide Acceptor

et al. 2016

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A novel polymer donor (PBDTS‐Se) is designed to match with a non‐fullerene acceptor (SdiPBI‐S). The corresponding solar cells show a high efficiency of 8.22%, which result from synergetic improvements of light harvesting, charge carrier transport and collection, and morphology. The results indicate that rational design of novel donor materials is important for non‐fullerene organic solar cells.

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“…Although there is increasing interest in the mechanical properties of BHJ active layers, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] and such studies are common for traditional polymers, [10][11] the efforts in the OPV arena remain limited when compared to performance efficiency studies. [12][13][14][15][16] Along with the electronic processes involved in photocurrent generation, the active-layer mechanical properties inherently depend on the multiphase morphology of the BHJ thin films [17][18][19][20][21][22] and therefore are contingent on the thin-film processing protocols and the nature and strength of non-covalent, solid-state intermolecular interactions. However, a molecular-scale understanding of these properties, which is key to the design of more mechanically and electronically robust active layers, remains elusive.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular-Scale Understanding of Cohesion and Fracture in P3HT:Fullerene Blends

Tummala

Bruner

Risko

et al. 2015

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Abstract.Quantifying cohesion and understanding fracture phenomena in thin-film electronic devices are necessary for improved materials design and processing criteria. For organic photovoltaics (OPVs), the cohesion of the photoactive layer portends its mechanical flexibility, reliability, and lifetime. Here, the molecular mechanism for the initiation of cohesive failure in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) OPV active layers derived from the semiconducting polymer poly-(3-hexylthiophene) [P3HT] and two mono-substituted fullerenes is examined experimentally and through molecular-dynamics simulations. The results detail how, under identical conditions, cohesion significantly changes due to minor variations in the fullerene adduct functionality, an important materials consideration that needs to be taken into account across fields where soluble fullerene derivatives are used.

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Quantitative Determination of Organic Semiconductor Microstructure from the Molecular to Device Scale

Cited by 1,227 publications

References 218 publications

Reducing the efficiency–stability–cost gap of organic photovoltaics with highly efficient and stable small molecule acceptor ternary solar cells

Reducing the efficiency–stability–cost gap of organic photovoltaics with highly efficient and stable small molecule acceptor ternary solar cells

High‐Performance Non‐Fullerene Organic Solar Cells Based on a Selenium‐Containing Polymer Donor and a Twisted Perylene Bisimide Acceptor

Molecular-Scale Understanding of Cohesion and Fracture in P3HT:Fullerene Blends

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