Three
([Pt]-DPP)
n
polymers PA, PB, and PC bearing cyanobiphenyl,
alkyloxyphenyl, and triphenylene self-assembling groups were synthesized.
The optical, electrochemical, photophysical, and solar cell properties
were investigated and compared to analogue polymer P1 deprived of any organizing group. Significant differences lie in
the more stabilized lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level
for PA and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)
level for PC. X-ray diffraction analyses on thin films
evidenced π-aggregation of molecules for PA and PB. Nanosecond timescale fluorescent lifetimes were measured
for PA, PB, and PC. An ultrafast
photoinduced electron transfer between these polymers and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) was brought
out from femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (fs-TAS). It
is faster for PC than for PA and PB. The recombination leads to singlet- and triplet-state formation
(([Pt]-DPP)
n
)•+ + PC61BM•– → 3([Pt]-DPP)
n
* + ([Pt]-DPP)
n
+ PC61BM. Solar cells
were fabricated using polymers blended with an acceptor (PC71BM or IT-4F) as an active layer in conventional device structure
indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene
sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)/active layer/poly[(9,9-dioctyl-2,7-fluorene)-alt-(9,9-bis(3′-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)] (PFN)/Al. Unlike PA, polymers PB and PC exhibit better photovoltaic
performances than P1. Higher power conversion efficiencies
(PCEs) were reached with IT-4F, PB:IT-4F (PCE = 10.83%, J
sc = 17.83 mA cm–2, V
oc = 0.98 V), and PC:IT-4F (PCE
= 13.26%, J
sc = 18.95 mA cm–2, V
oc = 1.06 V). This work highlights
the beneficial impact of triphenylene self-assembling groups on photovoltaic
properties. PC exhibits a record-high PCE (13.26%) for [Pt]-containing polyyne oligomers and small molecules.