We have newly synthesized surfactants which could enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell devices as well as their long-term stability. The surfactants developed include an ABA triblock copolymer containing P3HT and poly(4-vinyltriphenylamine) (PVTPA-P3HT-PVTPA ) and fullerene derivatives with oligothiophene units (PCBX  series). In the case of adding only 1.5 wt% of PVTPA-P3HT-PVTPA  to a P3HT:PCBM blend system, the PCE increased from 3.9 to 4.4%, which is the best value among the block-copolymer-based organic photovoltaics (OPVs). The long-term stability could also be observed by suppressing the large aggregation of PCBM. Similarly, among the PCBX  series, the one containing terthiophene units (PCBTTE ) showed the best performance of 4.4% when 5 w% of PCBTTE  was added to the P3HT:PCBM blend system. With 10 wt% addition of PCBTTE , the PCE decay was only 6% after 10 h at 150 oC, proving the excellent device stability.

Enhancement of P3HT/PCBM photovoltaic efficiency and stability based on surfactant approach

244th National Meeting (2012)

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