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Progress in Poly (3‐Hexylthiophene) Organic Solar Cells and the Influence of Its Molecular Weight on Device Performance
Author(s) -
Wadsworth Andrew,
Hamid Zeinab,
Bidwell Matthew,
Ashraf Raja S.,
Khan Jafar I.,
Anjum Dalaver H.,
Cendra Camila,
Yan Jun,
Rezasoltani Elham,
Guilbert Anne A. Y.,
Azzouzi Mohammed,
Gasparini Nicola,
Bannock James H.,
Baran Derya,
Wu Hongbin,
de Mello John C.,
Brabec Christoph J.,
Salleo Alberto,
Nelson Jenny,
Laquai Frédéric,
McCulloch Iain
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced energy materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.08
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1614-6840
pISSN - 1614-6832
DOI - 10.1002/aenm.201801001
Subject(s) - materials science , polymer , organic solar cell , fullerene , acceptor , chemical engineering , thermal stability , polymer blend , polymer solar cell , molecular mass , polymer chemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , copolymer , physics , engineering , condensed matter physics , enzyme
Abstract Poly (3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was an early frontrunner in the development of donor polymers to be used in organic photovoltaics. A relatively straightforward and inexpensive synthesis suggests that it may be the most viable donor polymer to use in large‐scale commercial organic solar cells. Replacing fullerenes with new electron acceptors has led to significant improvements in device performance and stability, with devices now able to exceed an efficiency of 7%. Past studies have reported a dependence of device performance on the molecular weight of the polymer in fullerene‐containing blends, however, with nonfullerene acceptors now showing promise a similar study was needed. P3HT blends, with two nonfullerene acceptors (O‐IDTBR and EH‐IDTBR), were probed using a number of polymer batches with varying molecular weights. O‐IDTBR was shown to exhibit a dependence on the polymer molecular weight, with optimal performance achieved with a 34 kDa polymer, while EH‐IDTBR displayed an independence in performance with varying polymer molecular weight. Probing the thermal and morphological behavior of the P3HT:O‐IDTBR blends suggests that an optimal morphology with pronounced donor and acceptor domains was only achieved with the 34 kDa polymer, and a greater degree of mixing was exhibited in the other blends, likely leading to poorer device performance.