Investigating charge generation in polymer:non-fullerene acceptor bulk heterojunction films
Abstract
Non-fullerene acceptors are now capable of being used in high efficiency bulk heterojunction (BHJ) donor-acceptor organic solar cells. Acceptors comprising single or multiple linked chromophores have been used. We have developed a new non-fullerene molecular acceptor as well as two non-polymeric macromolecular materials that contain four equivalents of a similar chromophore, but can adopt different spatial arrangements of the chromophores. We compare the effect of having single and multiple chromophores within a macromolecule on the charge generation processes in P3HT:non-fullerene acceptor BHJ films using Transient Absorption Spectroscopy (TAS) and Time Resolved Microwave Conductivity (TRMC) measurements. It was found from the TAS measurements that at low weight percent (5 wt%) the single chromophore formed more polarons than the acceptors in which chromophores were linked, due to it having a more even distribution within the film. At higher concentrations (50 wt%) the trend was reversed due to the single chromophore forming crystalline domains, which reduced the interface area with the P3HT donor. The TRMC measurements showed that more mobile carriers were formed in the macromolecular acceptors when used at low concentrations in the blend and, independent of concentration, mobile carriers had a longer lifetime when compared to films containing the molecular material,more »
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Queensland, St. Lucia (Australia)
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1424894
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1496431
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5900-68879
Journal ID: ISSN 1566-1199
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308; AC36-08-GO28038
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Organic Electronics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 55; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1566-1199
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 42 ENGINEERING; organic photovoltaics; non-fullerene acceptor; synthesis; charge generation
Citation Formats
Stoltzfus, Dani M., Larson, Bryon W., Zarrabi, Nasim, Shaw, Paul E., Clulow, Andrew J., Jin, Hui, Burn, Paul L., Gentle, Ian R., and Kopidakis, Nikos. Investigating charge generation in polymer:non-fullerene acceptor bulk heterojunction films. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.orgel.2018.01.017.
Stoltzfus, Dani M., Larson, Bryon W., Zarrabi, Nasim, Shaw, Paul E., Clulow, Andrew J., Jin, Hui, Burn, Paul L., Gentle, Ian R., & Kopidakis, Nikos. Investigating charge generation in polymer:non-fullerene acceptor bulk heterojunction films. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2018.01.017
Stoltzfus, Dani M., Larson, Bryon W., Zarrabi, Nasim, Shaw, Paul E., Clulow, Andrew J., Jin, Hui, Burn, Paul L., Gentle, Ian R., and Kopidakis, Nikos. Wed .
"Investigating charge generation in polymer:non-fullerene acceptor bulk heterojunction films". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2018.01.017. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1424894.
@article{osti_1424894,
title = {Investigating charge generation in polymer:non-fullerene acceptor bulk heterojunction films},
author = {Stoltzfus, Dani M. and Larson, Bryon W. and Zarrabi, Nasim and Shaw, Paul E. and Clulow, Andrew J. and Jin, Hui and Burn, Paul L. and Gentle, Ian R. and Kopidakis, Nikos},
abstractNote = {Non-fullerene acceptors are now capable of being used in high efficiency bulk heterojunction (BHJ) donor-acceptor organic solar cells. Acceptors comprising single or multiple linked chromophores have been used. We have developed a new non-fullerene molecular acceptor as well as two non-polymeric macromolecular materials that contain four equivalents of a similar chromophore, but can adopt different spatial arrangements of the chromophores. We compare the effect of having single and multiple chromophores within a macromolecule on the charge generation processes in P3HT:non-fullerene acceptor BHJ films using Transient Absorption Spectroscopy (TAS) and Time Resolved Microwave Conductivity (TRMC) measurements. It was found from the TAS measurements that at low weight percent (5 wt%) the single chromophore formed more polarons than the acceptors in which chromophores were linked, due to it having a more even distribution within the film. At higher concentrations (50 wt%) the trend was reversed due to the single chromophore forming crystalline domains, which reduced the interface area with the P3HT donor. The TRMC measurements showed that more mobile carriers were formed in the macromolecular acceptors when used at low concentrations in the blend and, independent of concentration, mobile carriers had a longer lifetime when compared to films containing the molecular material, which we ascribe to the charges being able to sample more than one chromophore and thus reduce recombination events.},
doi = {10.1016/j.orgel.2018.01.017},
journal = {Organic Electronics},
number = C,
volume = 55,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {1}
}
Web of Science
Figures / Tables:

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Figures / Tables found in this record: