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Title: High open-circuit voltage small-molecule p-DTS(FBTTh 2 )2.ICBA bulk heterojunction solar cells – morphology, excited-state dynamics, and photovoltaic performance

Abstract

The photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells using the solution-processable small molecule donor 7,7'-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-silolo[3,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl)bis(6-fluoro-4-(5'-hexyl-[2,2'-bithiophene]-5-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole) (p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 in combination with indene-C60 bis-adduct (ICBA) as an acceptor is systematically optimized by altering the processing conditions. A high open-circuit voltage of 1 V, more than 0.2 V higher than that of a p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:PC70BM blend, is achieved. However, the power conversion efficiency remains around 5% and thus is lower than ~8% previously reported for p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:PC70BM. Transient absorption (TA) pump–probe spectroscopy over a wide spectral (Vis-NIR) and dynamic (fs to μs) range in combination with multivariate curve resolution analysis of the TA data reveals that generation of free charges is more efficient in the blend with PC70BM as an acceptor. In contrast, blends with ICBA create more coulombically bound interfacial charge transfer (CT) states, which recombine on the sub-nanosecond timescale by geminate recombination. Furthermore, the ns to μs charge carrier dynamics in p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:ICBA blends are only weakly intensity dependent implying a significant contribution of recombination from long-lived CT states and trapped charges, while those in p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:PC70BM decay via an intensity-dependent recombination mechanism indicating that spatially separated (free) charge carriers are observed, which can be extracted as photocurrent from the device.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [3]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR) (Singapore). Inst. of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE).
  2. Max Planck Inst. for Polymer Research, Mainz (Germany)
  3. Univ. of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA (United States). Center for Polymers and Organic Solids.
  4. Max Planck Inst. for Polymer Research, Mainz (Germany)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1215416
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-76SF00515
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Materials Chemistry. A
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 3; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 2050-7488
Publisher:
Royal Society of Chemistry
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY

Citation Formats

Ko Kyaw, Aung Ko, Gehrig, Dominik, Zhang, Jie, Huang, Ye, Bazan, Guillermo C., Laquai, Frédéric, and Nguyen, Thuc -Quyen. High open-circuit voltage small-molecule p-DTS(FBTTh 2 )2.ICBA bulk heterojunction solar cells – morphology, excited-state dynamics, and photovoltaic performance. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1039/C4TA06256F.
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Ko Kyaw, Aung Ko, Gehrig, Dominik, Zhang, Jie, Huang, Ye, Bazan, Guillermo C., Laquai, Frédéric, & Nguyen, Thuc -Quyen. High open-circuit voltage small-molecule p-DTS(FBTTh 2 )2.ICBA bulk heterojunction solar cells – morphology, excited-state dynamics, and photovoltaic performance. United States. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TA06256F
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Ko Kyaw, Aung Ko, Gehrig, Dominik, Zhang, Jie, Huang, Ye, Bazan, Guillermo C., Laquai, Frédéric, and Nguyen, Thuc -Quyen. Thu . "High open-circuit voltage small-molecule p-DTS(FBTTh 2 )2.ICBA bulk heterojunction solar cells – morphology, excited-state dynamics, and photovoltaic performance". United States. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TA06256F. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1215416.
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@article{osti_1215416,
title = {High open-circuit voltage small-molecule p-DTS(FBTTh 2 )2.ICBA bulk heterojunction solar cells – morphology, excited-state dynamics, and photovoltaic performance},
author = {Ko Kyaw, Aung Ko and Gehrig, Dominik and Zhang, Jie and Huang, Ye and Bazan, Guillermo C. and Laquai, Frédéric and Nguyen, Thuc -Quyen},
abstractNote = {The photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells using the solution-processable small molecule donor 7,7'-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-silolo[3,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl)bis(6-fluoro-4-(5'-hexyl-[2,2'-bithiophene]-5-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole) (p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 in combination with indene-C60 bis-adduct (ICBA) as an acceptor is systematically optimized by altering the processing conditions. A high open-circuit voltage of 1 V, more than 0.2 V higher than that of a p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:PC70BM blend, is achieved. However, the power conversion efficiency remains around 5% and thus is lower than ~8% previously reported for p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:PC70BM. Transient absorption (TA) pump–probe spectroscopy over a wide spectral (Vis-NIR) and dynamic (fs to μs) range in combination with multivariate curve resolution analysis of the TA data reveals that generation of free charges is more efficient in the blend with PC70BM as an acceptor. In contrast, blends with ICBA create more coulombically bound interfacial charge transfer (CT) states, which recombine on the sub-nanosecond timescale by geminate recombination. Furthermore, the ns to μs charge carrier dynamics in p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:ICBA blends are only weakly intensity dependent implying a significant contribution of recombination from long-lived CT states and trapped charges, while those in p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:PC70BM decay via an intensity-dependent recombination mechanism indicating that spatially separated (free) charge carriers are observed, which can be extracted as photocurrent from the device.},
doi = {10.1039/C4TA06256F},
journal = {Journal of Materials Chemistry. A},
number = 4,
volume = 3,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Thu Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TA06256F
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