Versatile methods for improving the mechanical properties of fullerene and non-fullerene bulk heterojunction layers to enable stretchable organic solar cells

Dauzon, Emilie; Sallenave, Xavier; Plesse, Cédric; Goubard, Fabrice; Amassian, Aram; Anthopoulos, Thomas D.

doi:10.1039/d1tc05263b

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(93 reference statements)

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“…Some studies demonstrated that adding insulating polymers such as polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)block-polystyrene, polydimethylsiloxane, or poly(aryl ether) s to the active layer blend films can improve the extensibility of the films. [29][30][31][32] In addition, introducing polymerized small molecule acceptors such as PY-IT can effectively enhance ductility. [33,34] However, the regulation mechanism of stretchability of ternary blends is still poorly understood, especially other morphology-stretchability relationships under stretching.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling the Stretch‐Induced Microstructural Evolution and Morphology–Stretchability Relationships of High‐Performance Ternary Organic Photovoltaic Blends

et al. 2022

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The stretchability and stretch‐induced structural evolution of organic solar cells (OSCs) are pivotal for their collapsible, portable, and wearable applications, and they are mainly affected by the complex morphology of active layers. Herein, a highly ductile conjugated polymer P(NDI2OD‐T2) is incorporated into the active layers of high‐efficiency OSCs based on nonfullerene small molecule acceptors to simultaneously investigate the morphological, mechanical, and photovoltaic properties and structural evolution under stretching of ternary blend films with various acceptor contents. The structural robustness of the blend films is indicated by their stretch‐induced structural evolution, which is monitored in real‐time by a combination of in situ wide/small angle X‐ray scattering. It is found that adding the soft P(NDI2OD‐T2) can enhance the stretchability and structural robustness of ternary blend films by more entangled chains and tie chains to dissipate strain. Furthermore, the stretchability of the ternary blends can be superbly predicted by a 3D equivalent box model. This work provides instructive insight and guidance for designing stretchable electronics and predicting the stretchability of multicomponent blends.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling the Stretch‐Induced Microstructural Evolution and Morphology–Stretchability Relationships of High‐Performance Ternary Organic Photovoltaic Blends

et al. 2022

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“…Likewise, the Anthopoulos group has shown that the chemical structure of the crosslinker plays an important role in determining the mechanical properties. [17] For example, Dauzon et al crosslinked fullerene acceptors in P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunctions using three bisazide crosslinkers: 1,12-diazidododecane (C 12 N 3 ), 1,11-diazido-3,6,9-trioxaundecane (PEG 3 N 3 ), and poly(ethylene glycol) bisazide (PEG N N 3 ). [17] Increasing the crosslinker loading and increasing the carbon chain length of the crosslinker both resulted in a decrease in the elastic modulus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[17] For example, Dauzon et al crosslinked fullerene acceptors in P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunctions using three bisazide crosslinkers: 1,12-diazidododecane (C 12 N 3 ), 1,11-diazido-3,6,9-trioxaundecane (PEG 3 N 3 ), and poly(ethylene glycol) bisazide (PEG N N 3 ). [17] Increasing the crosslinker loading and increasing the carbon chain length of the crosslinker both resulted in a decrease in the elastic modulus. Encouragingly, the authors also showed that small loadings of crosslinker (5 wt%) could be incorporated in a P3HT:PCBM solar cell without reducing the power conversion efficiency (PCE).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the Strength, Hardness, and Survivability of Semiconducting Polymers by Crosslinking

Chen

Hilgar

Samoylov

et al. 2022

Adv Materials Inter

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Crosslinking is a ubiquitous strategy in polymer engineering to increase the thermomechanical robustness of solid polymers but has been relatively unexplored in the context of π‐conjugated (semiconducting) polymers. Notwithstanding, mechanical stability is key to many envisioned applications of organic electronic devices. For example, the wide‐scale distribution of photovoltaic devices incorporating conjugated polymers may depend on integration with substrates subject to mechanical insult—for example, road surfaces, flooring tiles, and vehicle paint. Here, a four‐armed azide‐based crosslinker (“4Bx”) is used to modify the mechanical properties of a library of semiconducting polymers. Three polymers used in bulk heterojunction solar cells (donors J51 and PTB7‐Th, and acceptor N2200) are selected for detailed investigation. In doing so, it is shown that low loadings of 4Bx can be used to increase the strength (up to 30%), toughness (up to 75%), hardness (up to 25%), and cohesion of crosslinked films. Likewise, crosslinked films show greater physical stability in comparison to non‐crosslinked counterparts (20% vs 90% volume lost after sonication). Finally, the locked‐in morphologies and increased mechanical robustness enable crosslinked solar cells to have greater survivability to four degradation tests: abrasion (using a sponge), direct exposure to chloroform, thermal aging, and accelerated degradation (heat, moisture, and oxygen).

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“…The origin of crystallinity enhancement of the crosslinked films is unclear but might be due to the functioning of 1-NIPS as nucleating agents or crosslinking-induced immobilization of alkyl chains. [60][61][62] Nucleating agents can promote the microstructure formation, i.e., crystallization, of conjugated polymers during the film forming process and the thermal annealing process. [60,63,64] Additional GIXD results for non-annealed DPPDTT/1-NIPS films provide the evidence that 1-NIPS promotes the crystallization of DPPDTT during thermal annealing process (Figure S29, Supporting Information).…”

Section: Effect Of Crystalline Structure On Crosslinking-induced Defo...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing a Length‐Modulated Azide Photocrosslinker to Improve the Stretchability of Semiconducting Polymers

Kim

Chung

Kim

et al. 2023

Adv Funct Materials

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To impart high stretchability to semiconducting polymers, researchers have used a photocrosslinking approach based on the nitrene chemistry of an azide‐incorporated molecular additive. However, understanding of the molecular design of azide crosslinkers with respect to their effects on the electrical and mechanical properties of semiconducting polymer thin films is lacking. In this study, the effects of an azide photocrosslinker's molecular length and structure on the microstructural, electrical features, and stretchability of photocrosslinked conjugated polymer films is investigated. For a systematic comparison, a series of nitrene‐induced photocrosslinkers (n‐NIPSs) with different numbers of ethylene glycol repeating units (n = 1, 4, 8, 13) that bridge two tetrafluoro‐aryl azide end groups is synthesized. Two semicrystalline conjugated polymers and two nearly amorphous conjugated polymers are co‐processed with n‐NIPSs and crosslinked by brief exposure to UV light. It is found that, among the synthesized n‐NIPSs, the shortest one (1‐NIPS) is the most efficient in improving the stretchability of crosslinked indacenodithiophene‐benzothiadiazole films and that the improvement is achieved only with nearly amorphous polymers, not with semicrystalline conjugated polymers. On the basis of systematic studies, it is suggested that crosslinking density in amorphous regions is important in improving thin film stretchability.

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Versatile methods for improving the mechanical properties of fullerene and non-fullerene bulk heterojunction layers to enable stretchable organic solar cells

Abstract: We develop and evaluate two methods aimed at enhancing the mechanical resistance and stretchability of bulk heterojunction active layers in organic solar cells while maintaining photovoltaic performance intact. These techniques...

Cited by 14 publications

References 72 publications

Unraveling the Stretch‐Induced Microstructural Evolution and Morphology–Stretchability Relationships of High‐Performance Ternary Organic Photovoltaic Blends

Unraveling the Stretch‐Induced Microstructural Evolution and Morphology–Stretchability Relationships of High‐Performance Ternary Organic Photovoltaic Blends

Increasing the Strength, Hardness, and Survivability of Semiconducting Polymers by Crosslinking

Designing a Length‐Modulated Azide Photocrosslinker to Improve the Stretchability of Semiconducting Polymers

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