Modeling the Free Carrier Recombination Kinetics in PTB7:PCBM Organic Photovoltaics

Oosterhout, Stefan D.; Ferguson, Andrew J.; Larson, Bryon W.; Olson, Dana C.; Kopidakis, Nikos

doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b07614

Title: Modeling the Free Carrier Recombination Kinetics in PTB7:PCBM Organic Photovoltaics

Journal Article · Mon Oct 03 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b07614· OSTI ID:1331480

Oosterhout, Stefan D. ^[1]; Ferguson, Andrew J. ^[1]; Larson, Bryon W. ^[1]; Olson, Dana C. ^[1]; Kopidakis, Nikos ^[1]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States). Chemistry and Nanoscience Center

Currently the exact recombination mechanism of free carriers in organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices is poorly understood. Often a reduced Langevin model is used to describe the decay behavior of electrons and holes. Here we propose a novel, simple kinetic model that accurately describes the decay behavior of free carriers in the PTB7:PCBM organic photovoltaic blend. In order to accurately describe the recombination behavior of free carriers as measured by time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC), this model needs to only take into account free and trapped holes in the polymer, and free electrons in the fullerene. The model is consistent for different PTB7:PCBM blend ratios and spans a light intensity range of over 3 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the model demonstrates that dark carriers exist in the polymer and interact with photoinduced charge carriers, and that the trapping and detrapping rates of the holes are of high importance to the overall carrier lifetime.

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Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1331480

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5900-66893

Journal Information:: Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Vol. 120, Issue 43; ISSN 1932-7447

Publisher:: American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 10 works

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Title: Modeling the Free Carrier Recombination Kinetics in PTB7:PCBM Organic Photovoltaics

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