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Role of Crystallization in the Morphology of Polymer: Non-fullerene Acceptor Bulk Heterojunctions

Journal Article · · ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [4];  [3];  [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  3. Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
  4. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Many high efficiency organic photovoltaics use fullerene-based acceptors despite their high production cost, weak optical absorption in the visible range, and limited synthetic variability of electronic and optical properties. To circumvent this deficiency, non-fullerene small-molecule acceptors have been developed that have good synthetic flexibility, allowing for precise tuning of optoelectronic properties, leading to enhanced absorption of the solar spectrum and increased open-circuit voltages (VOC). We examined the detailed morphology of bulk heterojunctions of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and the small-molecule acceptor HPI-BT to reveal structural changes that lead to improvements in the fill factor of solar cells upon thermal annealing. The kinetics of the phase transformation process of HPI-BT during thermal annealing were investigated through in situ grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering studies, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The HPI-BT acceptor crystallizes during film formation to form micron-sized domains embedded within the film center and a donor rich capping layer at the cathode interface reducing efficient charge extraction. Thermal annealing changes the surface composition and improves charge extraction. In conclusion, this study reveals the need for complementary methods to investigate the morphology of BHJs.
Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1364166
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA--5K00-68704
Journal Information:
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Journal Name: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces Journal Issue: 22 Vol. 9; ISSN 1944-8244
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (3)

A photochemical layer-by-layer solution process for preparing organic semiconducting thin films having the right material at the right place journal January 2018
Efficiency enhancements in non-fullerene acceptor-based organic solar cells by post-additive soaking journal January 2019
A review of non-fullerene polymer solar cells: from device physics to morphology control journal February 2019

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