Effect of process parameters on the morphology and nanostructure of roll-to-roll printed P3HT:PCBM thin films for organic photovoltaics

Koidis, C.; Logothetidis, S.; Kassavetis, S.; Kapnopoulos, C.; Karagiannidis, Panagiotis; Georgiou, D.; Laskarakis, A.

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2012.12.044

Cited by 51 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…[82][83][84] It is, however, difficult to obtain mechanical data from the geometry that is most relevant to organic optoelectronics-a thin lm. Experimental determination of the mechanical properties of conjugated polymers.…”

Section: Mechanical Properties Of Organic Semiconductorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mechanical properties of conjugated polymers (principally the properties under tensile loading, such as ultimate strength and tensile modulus) have been determined in the past by direct tensile testing 81 and by nanoindentation. 83,84,86 The mechanical buckling technique has proven useful in determining the tensile modulus of a range of inorganic and organic thin lms, 85,86,88 and even of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes. 85,86 Films of organic materials can have thickness-dependent mechanical properties due to unsaturated intermolecular bonds at interfaces (a skindepth effect) 87 and because of connement of a plastic zone at the crack tip during decohesion of layers sandwiched between relatively rigid substrates.…”

Section: Mechanical Properties Of Organic Semiconductorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mechanical degradation and stability of organic solar cells: molecular and microstructural determinants

Savagatrup

Printz

O’Connor

et al. 2015

Energy Environ. Sci.

217

256

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The mechanical properties of organic semiconductors and the mechanical failure mechanisms of devices play critical roles in the yield of modules in roll-to-roll manufacturing and the operational stability of organic solar cells (OSCs) in portable and outdoor applications. This paper begins by reviewing the mechanical propertiesprincipally stiffness and brittleness-of pure films of organic semiconductors. It identifies several determinants of the mechanical properties, including molecular structures, polymorphism, and microstructure and texture.Next, a discussion of the mechanical properties of polymer-fullerene bulk heterojunction blends reveals the strong influence of the size and purity of the fullerenes, the effect of processing additives as plasticizers, and the details of molecular mixing-i.e., the extent of intercalation of fullerene molecules between the side chains of the polymer. Mechanical strain in principle affects the photovoltaic output of devices in several ways, from strain-evolved changes in alignment of chains, degree of crystallinity, and orientation of texture, to debonding, cohesive failure, and cracking, which dominate changes in the high-strain regime. These conclusions highlight the importance of mechanical properties and mechanical effects on the viability of OSCs during manufacture and in operational environments. The review-whose focus is on molecular and microstructural determinants of mechanical properties-concludes by suggesting several potential routes to maximize both mechanical resilience and photovoltaic performance for improving the lifetime of devices in the near term and enabling devices that require extreme deformation (i.e., stretchability and ultra-flexibility) in the future. Broader contextOrganic solar cells (OSCs) are potentially an inexpensive source of renewable energy that can be manufactured at speeds that dwarf the rate at which wafer-based devices (i.e., silicon) can be fabricated. While low efficiencies of OSCs have historically been regarded as a major roadblock, the performance of this class of printable devices is improving rapidly, and module efficiencies of ten percent now seem possible. The susceptibility of polymer-based active layers to undergo thermally activated phase separation, photochemical damage, and other forms of degradation has motivated large and expanding literature devoted to understanding and improving the long-term stability of modules. Conspicuously absent from the literature, however, is a similar effort directed toward understanding the mechanical properties of organic semiconductors and their effects on the lifetime of devices against mechanical failure. The principal advantage of OSCs and all printed electronic devices is, nonetheless, roll-to-roll manufacturing on exible substrates. Manufacturing, installation, and use of these devices will thus require substantial mechanical resilience. Moreover, the ability to make devices on ultrathin plastic sheets-necessary to achieve low production energy for whole modules-requires that the acti...

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Section: Mechanical Properties Of Organic Semiconductorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mechanical Properties Of Organic Semiconductorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical degradation and stability of organic solar cells: molecular and microstructural determinants

Savagatrup

Printz

O’Connor

et al. 2015

Energy Environ. Sci.

217

256

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is well known that the active‐layer morphology has a strong effect on the device performance. The morphology strongly depends upon the deposition conditions, namely: the film process conditions,43 nature of the solvent,30, 33 drying conditions,39 and thermal post‐treatments 1. For R2R slot–die coating all of these four parameters are different compared to the optimized spin‐coating parameters, leading to a change in morphology.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roll‐to‐Roll Slot–Die Coated Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) Modules with High Geometrical Fill Factors

et al. 2015

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Flexible semi‐transparent organic photovoltaic (OPV) modules were manufactured by roll‐to‐roll slot–die coating of three functional layers [ZnO, photoactive layer, and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)] and either the screen printing or inkjet printing of the top electrodes. A poly(3‐hexylthiophene):[6,6] phenyl C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) layer deposited from non‐chlorinated solvents was used as the absorber layer. The modules were realized by slot–die coating of the layers onto a laser‐patterned polyethylene terephthalate/indium‐tin oxide (PET/ITO) substrate, followed by laser structuring of all coated layers. The top electrodes were realized by high‐resolution printing, which, combined with laser patterning of other layers, enables manufacturing of the modules with high geometrical fill factor (92.5 %). The modules have an active area of 156 cm2, and contain 13 serially interconnected cells. Two semitransparent electrodes (ITO from the bottom and PEDOT:PSS/Ag‐grid from the top side) allow the absorption of photons incident from both sides. The performance of the modules was evaluated and compared among the modules by considering the following factors: (i) roll‐to‐roll slot–die coated vs. spin‐coated layers, (ii) inkjet‐printed vs. screen‐printed top electrodes, (iii) top vs. bottom illumination. The demonstrated technology is one of the proven feasible ways towards industrial manufacturing of the OPV modules.

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“…One of the cutting-edge research activities includes the Smartonics project that concentrates on the development of smart nanomaterials (including thin film layers) and process technologies in order to integrate these in novel pilot lines for the fabrication of novel OPV devices with high efficiency and lifetime [1]. More details of the device structure, fabrication techniques and performance are discussed in reference [2]. OPV stacks consist of multiple thin layers, which are formed by low temperature coating or printing techniques.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser patterning for reel-to-reel production of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices

et al. 2015

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The direct write and non-contact nature of laser patterning is highly desirable as it is compatible with integration in rollto-roll production lines. The reduced thermal effects of ultrafast lasers are key to obtain selective removal of sensitive, thin film layers (<0.2µm). In this work, diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) picosecond and femtosecond pulse duration lasers are compared to identify the laser parameters and conditions required to produce high efficiency organic photovoltaics.

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Effect of process parameters on the morphology and nanostructure of roll-to-roll printed P3HT:PCBM thin films for organic photovoltaics

Cited by 51 publications

References 67 publications

Mechanical degradation and stability of organic solar cells: molecular and microstructural determinants

Mechanical degradation and stability of organic solar cells: molecular and microstructural determinants

Roll‐to‐Roll Slot–Die Coated Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) Modules with High Geometrical Fill Factors

Laser patterning for reel-to-reel production of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices

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