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Combining Fullerenes and Zwitterions in Non‐Conjugated Polymer Interlayers to Raise Solar Cell Efficiency
Author(s) -
Liu Yao,
Sheri Madhu,
Cole Marcus D.,
Emrick Todd,
Russell Thomas P.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201803748
Subject(s) - organic solar cell , fullerene , perylene , materials science , diimide , organic semiconductor , polymer , solar cell , polymer solar cell , nanotechnology , cathode , energy conversion efficiency , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , chemistry , organic chemistry , molecule , composite material , engineering
Polymer zwitterions were synthesized by nucleophilic ring‐opening of 3,3′‐(but‐2‐ene‐1,4‐diyl)bis(1,2‐oxathiolane 2,2‐dioxide) (a bis‐sultone) with functional perylene diimide (PDI) or fullerene monomers. Integration of these polymers into solar cell devices as cathode interlayers boosted efficiencies of fullerene‐based organic photovoltaics (OPVs) from 2.75 % to 10.74 %, and of non‐fullerene‐based OPVs from 4.25 % to 10.10 %, demonstrating the versatility of these interlayer materials in OPVs. The fullerene‐containing polymer zwitterion ( C 60 ‐PZ ) showed a higher interfacial dipole (Δ) value and electron mobility than its PDI counterpart ( PDI‐PZ ), affording solar cells with high efficiency. The power of PDI‐PZ and C 60 ‐PZ to improve electron injection and extraction processes when positioned between metal electrodes and organic semiconductors highlights their promise to overcome energy barriers at the hard‐soft materials interface of organic electronics.