Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have attracted considerable interest recently as a lightweight, low-cost and easily fabricated replacement for inorganic photovoltaics. The conversion of solar energy to electricity in OPVs occurs in three consecutive steps: the generation of excitons, the dissociation of excitons into free charge carriers, and the transportation of electrons and holes to the electrodes. Research shows that the initial structure of the active layer in OPVs upon casting, its evolution to equilibrium, and final equilibrium structure upon annealing dramatically impact photovoltaic function. In this presentation, recent work in our group that examines the change in morphology in organic photovoltaic thin films using neutron scattering is presented.  The results are interpreted to document the impact of thermal annealing and composition on the miscibility and resultant morphology.  Moreover, the results indicate that P3HT crystallization does not necessarily drive phase separation in these OPV active layers.

Verification of P3HT/PCBM miscibility and structure development in thin films by neutron scattering

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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