The problem of batch‐to‐batch variation of electronic properties and purity of conjugated polymers used as electron donor and photon harvesting materials in organic solar cells is addressed. A simple method is developed for rapid analysis of electronic quality of polymer‐based materials. It is shown that appearance of impurities capable of charge trapping changes electrophysical properties of conjugated polymers. In particular, a clear correlation between the effective relaxation time τeff and relative photovoltaic performance (η/ηmax) is revealed for samples of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) intentionally polluted with a palladium catalyst. This dependence is also valid for all other investigated samples of conjugated polymers. Therefore, fast impedance measurements at three different frequencies allow one to draw conclusions about the purity of the analyzed polymer sample and even estimate its photovoltaic performance. The developed method might find extensive applications as a simple tool for product quality control in the laboratory and industrial‐scale production of conjugated polymers for electronic applications.
Here, the synthesis, characterization, and photovoltaic properties of four new donor-acceptor copolymers are reported. These copolymers are based on 4,4-difl uoro-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′] dithiophene as an acceptor unit and various donor moieties: 4,4-dialkyl derivatives of 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene and its silicon analog, dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]-silol. These copolymers have an almost identical bandgap of 1.7 eV and have a HOMO energy level that varies from −5.34 to −5.73 eV. DSC and X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations reveal that linear octyl substituents promote the formation of ordered layered structures, while branched 2-ethylhexyl substituents lead to amorphous materials. Polymer solar cells based on these copolymers as donor and PC 61 BM as acceptor components yield a power conversion effi ciency of 2.4%.
The anion-templated syntheses and binding properties of novel macrocyclic oligopyrrole receptors in which pyrrole rings are linked through amide or imine bonds are described. The efficient synthesis was accomplished by anion-templated [1+1] Schiff-base condensation and acylation macrocyclization reactions. Free receptors and their host-guest complexes with hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, tetrabutylammonium chloride, and hydrogen sulfate were analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Stability constants with different tetrabutylammonium salts of inorganic acids were determined by standard 1H NMR and UV/Vis titration techniques in [D6]DMSO/0.5% water solution. According to the titration data, receptors containing three pyrrole rings (10 and 12) exhibit high affinity (log Ka=5-7) for bifluoride, acetate, and dihydrogen phosphate, and interact weakly with chloride and hydrogen sulfate. The amido-bipyrrole receptors 11 and 13 with four pyrrole rings exhibit 10(4)- and 10(2)-fold selectivity for dihydrogen phosphate, respectively, as inferred from competitive titrations in the presence of tetrabutylammonium acetate.
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