Photo-induced electron transfer from a conducting polymer to buckminsterfullerene: A molecular approach to high efficiency photovoltaic cells. Final report
Abstract
For photovoltaic cells made with pure conjugated polymers, energy conversion efficiencies were typically 10{sup {minus}3}--10{sup {minus}2}%, too low to be used in practical applications. The recent discovery of photoinduced electron transfer in composites of conducting polymers (as donors) and buckminsterfullerene, C{sub 60}, and its derivatives (as acceptors) provided a molecular approach to high efficiency photovoltaic conversion. Since the time scale for photoinduced charge transfer is subpicosecond, more than 10{sup 3} times faster than the radiative or nonradiative decay of photo-excitations, the quantum efficiency for charge transfer and charge separation from donor to acceptor is close to unity. Thus, photoinduced charge transfer across a donor/acceptor (D/A) interface provides an effective method of overcome early time carrier recombination in organic systems and thus to enhance the optoelectronic response of these materials. Progress toward creating bulk D/A heterojunction materials is described by summarizing two publications which resulted from this research, namely: Plastic photovoltaic cells made with donor-acceptor composites -- Enhanced carrier collection efficiency via a network of internal heterojunctions; and Charge separation and photovoltaic conversion in polymer composites with internal donor/acceptor heterojunctions.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 656624
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/12138-T1
ON: DE98006360; TRN: AHC29817%%180
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG03-93ER12138
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 13 Aug 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; PROGRESS REPORT; FULLERENES; ELECTRON TRANSFER; PHOTOVOLTAIC CONVERSION; HETEROJUNCTIONS; QUANTUM EFFICIENCY; PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY; CHARGE COLLECTION
Citation Formats
Heeger, A J. Photo-induced electron transfer from a conducting polymer to buckminsterfullerene: A molecular approach to high efficiency photovoltaic cells. Final report. United States: N. p., 1998.
Web. doi:10.2172/656624.
Heeger, A J. Photo-induced electron transfer from a conducting polymer to buckminsterfullerene: A molecular approach to high efficiency photovoltaic cells. Final report. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/656624
Heeger, A J. Thu .
"Photo-induced electron transfer from a conducting polymer to buckminsterfullerene: A molecular approach to high efficiency photovoltaic cells. Final report". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/656624. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/656624.
@article{osti_656624,
title = {Photo-induced electron transfer from a conducting polymer to buckminsterfullerene: A molecular approach to high efficiency photovoltaic cells. Final report},
author = {Heeger, A J},
abstractNote = {For photovoltaic cells made with pure conjugated polymers, energy conversion efficiencies were typically 10{sup {minus}3}--10{sup {minus}2}%, too low to be used in practical applications. The recent discovery of photoinduced electron transfer in composites of conducting polymers (as donors) and buckminsterfullerene, C{sub 60}, and its derivatives (as acceptors) provided a molecular approach to high efficiency photovoltaic conversion. Since the time scale for photoinduced charge transfer is subpicosecond, more than 10{sup 3} times faster than the radiative or nonradiative decay of photo-excitations, the quantum efficiency for charge transfer and charge separation from donor to acceptor is close to unity. Thus, photoinduced charge transfer across a donor/acceptor (D/A) interface provides an effective method of overcome early time carrier recombination in organic systems and thus to enhance the optoelectronic response of these materials. Progress toward creating bulk D/A heterojunction materials is described by summarizing two publications which resulted from this research, namely: Plastic photovoltaic cells made with donor-acceptor composites -- Enhanced carrier collection efficiency via a network of internal heterojunctions; and Charge separation and photovoltaic conversion in polymer composites with internal donor/acceptor heterojunctions.},
doi = {10.2172/656624},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/656624},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1998},
month = {8}
}