Non-halogenated solvents for environmentally friendly processing of high-performance bulk-heterojunction polymer solar cells

Chueh, Chu Chen; Yao, Kai; Yip, Hin‐Lap; Chang, Ching‐Ping; Xu, Yun‐Xiang; Chen, Kung Shih; Li, Chang‐Zhi; Liu, Peng; Huang, Fei; Chen, Yiwang; Chen, Wen‐Chang; Jen, Alex K.‐Y.

doi:10.1039/c3ee41915k

Cited by 171 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This consistently high PCE across such a range of solvent composition is extremely promising, as many previous attempts at halogenated solvent replacement have reported narrower process windows. [12][13][14][15][16][17] …”

Section: Opv Device Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was however found that these systems required strict control over solvent blend composition to optimize device efficiency. [16,17] Here, we report the use of a blend of carbon disulfide and acetone to cast the active semiconducting layer of an OPV consisting of a blend of the polymer PCDTBT ((poly[N-9'-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)])) and PC 70 BM ( [6,6]-Phenyl-C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Organic photovoltaic devices with enhanced efficiency processed from non-halogenated binary solvent blends

Griffin

Pearson

Scarratt

et al. 2015

Organic Electronics

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ReuseUnless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version -refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher's website. TakedownIf you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing eprints@whiterose.ac.uk including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. The development of processing routes to fabricate organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) using nonhalogenated solvents is a necessary step towards their eventual commercialisation. To address this issue, Organic Photovoltaic Devices With Enhanced Efficiency Processedwe have used Hansen solubility parameter analysis to identify a non-halogenated solvent blend based on a mixture of carbon disulfide and acetone. This solvent blend was then used to deposit a donor-acceptor polymer -fullerene thin-film that was then used as the active layer of bulk-heterojunction OPV. For the benchmark polymer:fullerene system PCDTBT:PC 70 BM, a power conversion efficiency of 6.75% was achieved; a 20% relative improvement over reference cells processed using the chlorinated-solvent chlorobenzene. Improvements in device efficiency are attributed to an increase in electron and hole conductivity resulting from enhanced fullerene crystallisation; a property that leads to enhanced device efficiency through improved charge extraction.

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Section: Opv Device Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic photovoltaic devices with enhanced efficiency processed from non-halogenated binary solvent blends

Griffin

Pearson

Scarratt

et al. 2015

Organic Electronics

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“…1). To become a viable technology, research is now focussing on stability and lifetime 2,3 as well as all-solution, roll-to-roll compatible production routes 4,5 and the use of environmental friendly solvents 6,7 . It is well known that the morphology of organic solar cells is crucial to achieve high efficiencies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A real-time study of the benefits of co-solvents in polymer solar cell processing

et al. 2015

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The photoactive layer of organic solar cells consists of a nanoscale blend of electron-donating and electron-accepting organic semiconductors. Controlling the degree of phase separation between these components is crucial to reach efficient solar cells. In solution-processed polymer-fullerene solar cells, small amounts of co-solvents are commonly used to avoid the formation of undesired large fullerene domains that reduce performance. There is an ongoing discussion about the origin of this effect. To clarify the role of co-solvents, we combine three optical measurements to investigate layer thickness, phase separation and polymer aggregation in real time during solvent evaporation under realistic processing conditions. Without co-solvent, large fullerene-rich domains form via liquid-liquid phase separation at B20 vol% solid content. Under such supersaturated conditions, co-solvents induce polymer aggregation below 20 vol% solids and prevent the formation of large domains. This rationalizes the formation of intimately mixed films that give high-efficient solar cells for the materials studied.

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“…Recently, more research has been focused on the replacement of halogenated processing solvents with more environmentally friendly solvents, such as toluene, xylenes and long alkanes [120]. This is especially important for the industrial production of OPV modules [121].…”

Section: Morphology Optimization By Device Engineeringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells — Opportunities and Challenges

Ye¹,

Xu²

2015

Solar Cells - New Approaches and Reviews

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Non-halogenated solvents for environmentally friendly processing of high-performance bulk-heterojunction polymer solar cells

Cited by 171 publications

References 47 publications

Organic photovoltaic devices with enhanced efficiency processed from non-halogenated binary solvent blends

Organic photovoltaic devices with enhanced efficiency processed from non-halogenated binary solvent blends

A real-time study of the benefits of co-solvents in polymer solar cell processing

Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells — Opportunities and Challenges

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