Synthesis and Characterization of a Low Bandgap Conjugated Polymer for Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaic Cells

Dhanabalan, A.; Duren, J.K.J. van; Hal, P. A. van; Dongen, Joost L. J. van; Janssen, Richard A. J.

doi:10.1002/1616-3028(200108)11:4<255::aid-adfm255>3.3.co;2-9

Cited by 101 publications

(136 citation statements)

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“…During almost four decades, research on OPV has progressed using a few standard materials which were not initially designed for this purpose. In this already long story the contribution of chemistry is relatively recent since the first low band gap polymers or molecules specifically designed for OPV were synthesized only in 2001‐2003 . In fact it is only during the past few years that new classes of active materials have permitted to surpass the performances of standard materials such as CuPc or P3HT.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although low band gap CPs have been investigated for a long time, the synthesis of the first low band gap CPs specifically designed for OPV started at the turn of the millenium, and it was only in 2008 that low band gap polymers capable of surpassing P3HT were synthesized . In the past five years new classes of low band gap polymers have generated impressive progress and recently PCE of ∼9.0 % have been reported for single junction BHJ cells …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Molecular Materials for Organic Photovoltaics: Small is Beautiful

2014

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An overview of some recent developments of the chemistry of molecular donor materials for organic photovoltaics (OPV) is presented. Although molecular materials have been used for the fabrication of OPV cells from the very beginning of the field, the design of molecular donors specifically designed for OPV is a relatively recent research area. In the past few years, molecular donors have been used in both vacuum-deposited and solution-processed OPV cells and both fields have witnessed impressive progress with power conversion efficiencies crossing the symbolic limit of 10 %. However, this progress has been achieved at the price of an increasing complexity of the chemistry of active materials and of the technology of device fabrication. This evolution probably inherent to the progress of research is difficult to reconcile with the necessity for OPV to demonstrate a decisive economic advantage over existing silicon technology. In this short review various classes of molecular donors are discussed with the aim of defining possible basic molecular structures that can combine structural simplicity, low molecular weight, synthetic accessibility, scalability and that can represent possible starting points for the development of simple and cost-effective OPV materials.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Materials for Organic Photovoltaics: Small is Beautiful

2014

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“…This led to development of new materials with small optical gaps, in order to increase photocurrent and possibly open‐circuit voltage. In the effort to design such polymers, attention was paid to the frontier orbital energy levels of donor and acceptor (for open‐circuit voltage), the number of photons absorbed, and the driving force for charge transfer 9. In 2006, Scharber et al10 were first to publish quantitative design rules for donors in bulk‐heterojunction solar cells using phenyl C 61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as common acceptor.…”

Section: Empirical Approaches To Limiting Efficiency In Opvmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Limiting Device Efficiency in Organic Photovoltaics

2012

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The power conversion efficiency of the most efficient organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells has recently increased to over 10%. To enable further increases, the factors limiting the device efficiency in OPV must be identified. In this review, the operational mechanism of OPV cells is explained and the detailed balance limit to photovoltaic energy conversion, as developed by Shockley and Queisser, is outlined. The various approaches that have been developed to estimate the maximum practically achievable efficiency in OPV are then discussed, based on empirical knowledge of organic semiconductor materials. Subsequently, approaches made to adapt the detailed balance theory to incorporate some of the fundamentally different processes in organic solar cells that originate from using a combination of two complementary, donor and acceptor, organic semiconductors using thermodynamic and kinetic approaches are described. The more empirical formulations to the efficiency limits provide estimates of 10-12%, but the more fundamental descriptions suggest limits of 20-24% to be reachable in single junctions, similar to the highest efficiencies obtained for crystalline silicon p-n junction solar cells. Closing this gap sets the stage for future materials research and development of OPV.

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“…Polymer solar cells based on the bulk heterojunction4 of regioregular poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C 61 ‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) have been reported with reasonably high performances of 4–5%. Despite significant improvements in understanding and optimizing the P3HT/PCBM morphology and performance5–10 of P3HT/PCBM blends, efforts were made to search for alternative donor polymers, either to increase the open circuit voltage of the devices11–13 or to extend the absorption spectrum into the NIR region 13–19…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Near IR Sensitization of Organic Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: Towards Optimization of the Spectral Response of Organic Solar Cells

Koppe¹,

Egelhaaf²,

Dennler³

et al. 2010

Adv Funct Materials

283

256

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The spectroscopic response of a poly(3‐hexylthiophene)/[6,6]‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PCBM)‐based bulk heterojunction solar cell is extended into the near infrared region (NIR) of the spectrum by adding the low bandgap polymer poly[2,6‐(4,4‐bis‐(2‐ethylhexyl)‐4H‐cyclopenta[2,1‐b;3,4‐b´]‐dithiophene)‐alt‐4,7‐(2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole)] [PCPDTBT] to the blend. The dominant mechanism behind the enhanced photosensitivity of the ternary blend is found to be a two‐step process: first, an ultrafast and efficient photoinduced charge transfer generates positive charges on P3HT and PCPDTBT and a negative charge on PCBM. In a second step, the positive charge on PCPDTBT is transferred to P3HT. Thus, P3HT serves two purposes. On the one hand it is involved in the generation of charge carriers by the photoinduced electron transfer to PCBM, and, on the other hand, it forms the charge transport matrix for the positive carriers transferred from PCPDTBT. Other mechanisms, such as energy transfer or photoinduced charge transfer directly between the two polymers, are found to be absent or negligible.

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Synthesis and Characterization of a Low Bandgap Conjugated Polymer for Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaic Cells

Cited by 101 publications

References 0 publications

Molecular Materials for Organic Photovoltaics: Small is Beautiful

Molecular Materials for Organic Photovoltaics: Small is Beautiful

Factors Limiting Device Efficiency in Organic Photovoltaics

Near IR Sensitization of Organic Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: Towards Optimization of the Spectral Response of Organic Solar Cells

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