A Simple and Effective Way of Achieving Highly Efficient and Thermally Stable Bulk-Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells Using Amorphous Fullerene Derivatives as Electron Acceptor

Zhang, Yong; Yip, Hin‐Lap; Acton, Orb; Hau, Steven K.; Huang, Fei; Jen, Alex K.‐Y.

doi:10.1021/cm9009282

Cited by 189 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

123

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…[8][9][10]13] The tendency of fullerenes to diffuse through the polymer phase resulting in the formation of large fullerene crystals via Ostwald ripening is regarded as the primary cause. Several techniques have been developed over the last decade to improve the thermal stability of polymer:fullerene blends including the use of high glass transition temperature polymers, [14] ternary blends with compatibilizers such as block copolymers, [15][16][17] amorphous fullerene derivatives, [18,19] donor-acceptor systems with enhanced interactions, [20,21] functionalized side chains on the polymer, [22] thermocleavable polymers, [23] light-induced fullerene polymerization, [24,25] and cross-linkable materials. [26,27] Furthermore, it was shown that mixtures of different fullerenes can improve the thermal stability of BHJs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward High‐Temperature Stability of PTB7‐Based Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: Impact of Fullerene Size and Solvent Additive

Dkhil

Pfannmöller

Saba

et al. 2016

Advanced Energy Materials

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of fullerene as acceptor limits the thermal stability of organic solar cells at high temperatures as their diffusion inside the donor leads to phase separation via Ostwald ripening. Here it is reported that fullerene diffusion is fully suppressed at temperatures up to 140 °C in bulk heterojunctions based on the benzodithiophene‐based polymer (the poly[[4,8‐bis[(2‐ethylhexyl)oxy]‐benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl][3‐fluoro‐2‐[(2‐ethylhexyl)carbonyl]‐thieno[3,4‐b]thiophenediyl]], (PTB7) in combination with the fullerene derivative [6,6]‐phenyl‐C71‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM). The blend stability is found independently of the presence of diiodooctane (DIO) used to optimize nanostructuration and in contrast to PTB7 blends using the smaller fullerene derivative PC70BM. The unprecedented thermal stability of PTB7:PC70BM layers is addressed to local minima in the mixing enthalpy of the blend forming stable phases that inhibit fullerene diffusion. Importantly, although the nanoscale morphology of DIO processed blends is thermally stable, corresponding devices show strong performance losses under thermal stress. Only by the use of a high temperature annealing step removing residual DIO from the device, remarkably stable high efficiency solar cells with performance losses less than 10% after a continuous annealing at 140 °C over 3 days are obtained. These results pave the way toward high temperature stable polymer solar cells using fullerene acceptors.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward High‐Temperature Stability of PTB7‐Based Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: Impact of Fullerene Size and Solvent Additive

Dkhil

Pfannmöller

Saba

et al. 2016

Advanced Energy Materials

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…On the other hand, the phenyl group of PCBM was replaced by a thienyl group [57] and the resulting BHJ solar cell based on P3HT: Th [60]CBM exhibited a PCE of 3.97% which was comparable to the reference P3HT: [60]PCBM device [58]. Another alternative consisted in replacing the phenyl ring with the bulky triphenylamine or 9,9-dimethylfluorene groups [59]. These acceptors showed electron mobility comparable to [60]PCBM, while solar cells using P3HT as the donor exhibited a high PCE of around 4% with a significant enhanced thermal stability thanks to the higher glasstransition temperature of these fullerene derivatives.…”

Section: -P5 Epj Photovoltaicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of molecular acceptors for organic solar cells

Hudhomme

2013

EPJ Photovolt.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have gained serious attention during the last decade and are now considered as one of the future photovoltaic technologies for low-cost power production. The first dream of attaining 10% of power coefficient efficiency has now become a reality thanks to the development of new materials and an impressive work achieved to understand, control and optimize structure and morphology of the device. But most of the effort devoted to the development of new materials concerned the optimization of the donor material, with less attention for acceptors which to date remain dominated by fullerenes and their derivatives. This short review presents the progress in the use of non-fullerene small molecules and fullerene-based acceptors with the aim of evaluating the challenge for the next generation of acceptors in organic photovoltaics.

show abstract

“…The other strategy is to optimize the substitute groups such as changing aromatic units or alkyl chain length [27][28][29]. For example, the modification of the side group of PCBM significantly affects its solubility and morphology in poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT)/fullerene derivatives blend films, which leads to various photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells [30,31]. Another work is reported by Kim's group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and synthesis of indole-substituted fullerene derivatives with different side groups for organic photovoltaic devices

Wang

Bao

Yang

et al. 2013

Organic Electronics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tA series of indole-substituted fulleropyrrolidine derivatives with different side groups on a pyrrolidine rings, including methyl (OIMC60P), benzyl (OIBC60P), 2,5-difluoroinebenzyl (OIB2FC60P), and 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoroinebenzyl (OIB5FC60P), have been synthesized and used as electron acceptor in the active layer of polymer-fullerene solar cells to investigate the effect of various substitute groups on the electronic structures, morphologies, and device performances. Optical absorption, electrochemical properties and solubility of the fullerene derivatives have been explored and compared. The inverted photovoltaic devices with the configuration ITO/ZnO/Poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT):[60]fullerene derivatives/MoO 3 /Ag have been prepared including the reference cell based on the P3HT: methyl [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butylate (PCBM) blend films. All the devices properties were measured in air without encapsulation. We also investigated the effect of the thermal annealing on the crystallinity and morphology of the active layer and the device performance. The device based on the blend film of P3HT and OIBC60P showed a power conversion efficiency of 2.46% under illumination by AM1.5G (100 mW/cm 2 ) after the annealing treatment at 120°C for 10 min in air.

show abstract

A Simple and Effective Way of Achieving Highly Efficient and Thermally Stable Bulk-Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells Using Amorphous Fullerene Derivatives as Electron Acceptor

Cited by 189 publications

References 29 publications

Toward High‐Temperature Stability of PTB7‐Based Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: Impact of Fullerene Size and Solvent Additive

Toward High‐Temperature Stability of PTB7‐Based Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: Impact of Fullerene Size and Solvent Additive

An overview of molecular acceptors for organic solar cells

Design and synthesis of indole-substituted fullerene derivatives with different side groups for organic photovoltaic devices

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About