There exists a widespread interest in solar energy not only as an alternative to fossil fuel, but also to grow a synergistic energy portfolio consisting of the right blend of renewable and non-renewable approaches. Distinct advantages of polymer organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells over silicon-based conventional solar cells include their ease of fabrication, low-weight, flexibility and lower cost, however they are plagued by their low efficiency in converting light to electricity. Among other things, this deficiency stems from the lack of control of the donor polymer self-assembly, nanoscale morphology of the separated phases of donor and acceptor in the OPV, and the exact nature and chemical constitution at interfaces of their complex multi-layered architectures. Here, we describe our pathways toward increasing the efficiency of air-processed OPV cells by controlling the morphology and absorption through incorporation of organic/inorganic hybrid polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles with tailored processing techniques. We also investigate the evolution of morphology and change in chemical constitution through different stages of these tailored processing techniques. Vapors from different solvents are shown to affect the morphology and distribution of polymers and fullerenes amongst the crystalline and amorphous regions of the bulk hetero junction (BHJ). The effect of such changes on charge carrier mobility and contact surface potential were exhibited through various characterization techniques.

Evolution of morphology and surface potential during process optimization in organic photovoltaic cells

248th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.