Journal ArticleDOI
Absolute Measurement of Domain Composition and Nanoscale Size Distribution Explains Performance in PTB7:PC71BM Solar Cells
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TLDR
In this article, resonant X-ray scattering and microscopy are combined to quantitatively measure the nanoscale domain size, distribution and composition in high efficiency solar cells based on PTB7 and PC71BM.Abstract:
The importance of morphology to organic solar cell performance is well known, but to date, the lack of quantitative, nanoscale and statistical morphological information has hindered obtaining direct links to device function. Here resonant X-ray scattering and microscopy are combined to quantitatively measure the nanoscale domain size, distribution and composition in high efficiency solar cells based on PTB7 and PC71BM. The results show that the solvent additive diiodooctane dramatically shrinks the domain size of pure fullerene agglomerates that are embedded in a polymer-rich 70/30 wt.% molecularly mixed matrix, while preserving the domain composition relative to additive-free devices. The fundamental miscibility between the species – measured to be equal to the device's matrix composition – is likely the dominant factor behind the overall morphology with the additive affecting the dispersion of excess fullerene. As even the molecular ordering measured by X-ray diffraction is unchanged between the two processing routes the change in the distribution of domain size and therefore increased domain interface is primarily responsible for the dramatic increase in device performance. While fullerene exciton harvesting is clearly one significant cause of the increase owing to smaller domains, a measured increase in harvesting from the polymer species indicates that the molecular mixing is not the reason for the high efficiency in this system. Rather, excitations in the polymer likely require proximity to a pure fullerene phase for efficient charge separation and transport. Furthermore, in contrast to previous measurements on a PTB7-based system, a hierarchical morphology was not observed, indicating that it is not necessary for high performance.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Aggregation and morphology control enables multiple cases of high-efficiency polymer solar cells.
Yuhang Liu,Jingbo Zhao,Zhengke Li,Cheng Mu,Wei Ma,Huawei Hu,Kui Jiang,Haoran Lin,Harald Ade,He Yan +9 more
TL;DR: The uncovered aggregation and design rules yield three high-efficiency (>10%) donor polymers and will allow further synthetic advances and matching of both the polymer and fullerene materials, potentially leading to significantly improved performance and increased design flexibility.
Journal ArticleDOI
Recent Advances in Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells
Journal ArticleDOI
Efficient organic solar cells processed from hydrocarbon solvents
Jingbo Zhao,Yunke Li,Guofang Yang,Guofang Yang,Kui Jiang,Haoran Lin,Herald Ade,Wei Ma,He Henry Yan +8 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the synergistic effects of a hydrocarbon solvent, a novel additive, a suitable choice of polymer side chain, and strong temperature-dependent aggregation of the donor polymer are used to produce active layers of organic solar cells in an environmentally friendly way.
Journal ArticleDOI
Non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cells
TL;DR: Non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) are currently a major focus of research in the development of bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs) as mentioned in this paper.
Journal ArticleDOI
Nonfullerene Acceptor Molecules for Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells
Guangye Zhang,Jingbo Zhao,Philip C. Y. Chow,Kui Jiang,Jianquan Zhang,Zonglong Zhu,Jie Zhang,Fei Huang,He Yan,He Yan +9 more
TL;DR: Progress is summarized, aiming to describe the molecular design strategy, to provide insight into the structure-property relationship, and to highlight the challenges the field is facing, with emphasis placed on most recent nonfullerene acceptors that demonstrated top-of-the-line photovoltaic performances.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Simultaneous Enhancement of Open-Circuit Voltage, Short-Circuit Current Density, and Fill Factor in Polymer Solar Cells
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Journal ArticleDOI
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Journal ArticleDOI
Charge transport and photocurrent generation in poly (3-hexylthiophene): Methanofullerene bulk-heterojunction solar cells
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