Ethynylene-linked benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-alt-diketopyrrolopyrrole alternating copolymer: optoelectronic properties, film morphology and photovoltaic applications

Wang, Hongyu; Ding, Yimin; Lai, Yanbang; Sun, Zhiwei; Liu, Yao; Jiang, Bin; Chen, Ming; Yao, Jian; Liu, Feng; Russell, Thomas P.

doi:10.1039/c5ta01004g

Ethynylene-linked benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-alt-diketopyrrolopyrrole alternating copolymer: optoelectronic properties, film morphology and photovoltaic applications

Journal Article · Tue May 12 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Materials Chemistry. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ta01004g· OSTI ID:1370264

Wang, Hongyu ^[1]; Ding, Yimin ^[2]; Lai, Yanbang ^[2]; Sun, Zhiwei ^[3]; Liu, Yao ^[3]; Jiang, Bin ^[2]; Chen, Ming ^[2]; Yao, Jian ^[2]; Liu, Feng ^[4]; Russell, Thomas P. ^[5]

Shanghai Univ. (China); Fudan Univ., Shanghai (China)
Shanghai Univ. (China)
Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)

Here, an ethynylene-linked benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-alt-diketopyrrolopyrrole alternating copolymer, EDPP, was designed and synthesized to improve the open-circuit voltage of organic solar cells. The influence of the ethynylene on optoelectronic properties, energy levels, crystallinity, film morphology, and photovoltaic performance was investigated. Optical and electrochemical tests showed that introduction of ethynylene into the polymer backbone resulted in a larger bandgap, deeper HOMO energy level, and enhanced crystallinity due to the planar conformation and electron-withdrawing properties. Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) showed that the pure EDPP film preferentially adopted a face-on orientation with a π–π stacking distance of 3.65 Å. After thermal annealing the face-on and edge-on orientations coexisted and the overall degree of crystallinity increased. Blending with PC₇₁BM did not disrupt the crystallinity of the EDPP. Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) showed that the EDPP:PC₇₁BM blend films contained large domains, a few hundred nanometers in size. As a result, EDPP:PC₇₁BM photovoltaic devices exhibited a high open-circuit voltage of 0.88 V, but a low short-circuit current, with a moderate power conversion efficiency of 1.98%.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Polymer-Based Materials for Harvesting Solar Energy (PHaSE)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0001087

OSTI ID:: 1370264

Journal Information:: Journal of Materials Chemistry. A, Journal Name: Journal of Materials Chemistry. A Journal Issue: 24 Vol. 3; ISSN 2050-7488

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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