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Donor-fullerene dyads for energy cascade organic solar cells

Journal Article · · Inorganica Chimica Acta

Organic bulk hetero junction (BHJ) solar cells require broad absorption of the incident solar spectrum by the donor and acceptor in the blend. Fullerene derivatives with covalently linked dyes, referred to as dyads, were designed to have strong optical absorption and appropriate electronic levels for electron transfer with common donor polymers in BHJs. Dyads with dyes based on diketopyrrolopyrrole and benzothiadiazole were synthesized using either a methanofullerene or a fulleropyrrolidine linkage. Here, the performance of these dyad acceptors in BHJ solar cells with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and a low optical gap co-polymer of thiophene and diketopyrrolopyrrole (PDPP2FT) were examined. Although the solar power conversion efficiencies were low, charge generation from the molecular dye in the dyad could be observed in BHJs with PDPP2FT. The low power conversion efficiency was attributed to the morphology of the BHJs based on grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering patterns. Density functional theory was used to examine the charge transfer states between the donor and the dyad. The lowest energy charge-transfer state was found to be a transition from the donor polymer to the fullerene portion of the dyad.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1463300
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1550259
Journal Information:
Inorganica Chimica Acta, Journal Name: Inorganica Chimica Acta Journal Issue: C Vol. 468; ISSN 0020-1693
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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