An efficient, "burn in" free organic solar cell employing a nonfullerene electron acceptor
File(s)adma.201701156R1_Manuscript.pdf (1.03 MB) adma.201701156R1_Supporting information.pdf (1.65 MB)
Accepted version
Supporting information
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A comparison of the efficiency, stability, and photophysics of organic solar cells employing poly[(5,6-difluoro-2,1,3-benzothiadiazol-4,7-diyl)-alt-(3,3'″-di(2-octyldodecyl)-2,2';5',2″;5″,2'″-quaterthiophen-5,5'″-diyl)] (PffBT4T-2OD) as a donor polymer blended with either the nonfullerene acceptor EH-IDTBR or the fullerene derivative, [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71 BM) as electron acceptors is reported. Inverted PffBT4T-2OD:EH-IDTBR blend solar cell fabricated without any processing additive achieves power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 9.5 ± 0.2%. The devices exhibit a high open circuit voltage of 1.08 ± 0.01 V, attributed to the high lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of EH-IDTBR. Photoluminescence quenching and transient absorption data are employed to elucidate the ultrafast kinetics and efficiencies of charge separation in both blends, with PffBT4T-2OD exciton diffusion kinetics within polymer domains, and geminate recombination losses following exciton separation being identified as key factors determining the efficiency of photocurrent generation. Remarkably, while encapsulated PffBT4T-2OD:PC71 BM solar cells show significant efficiency loss under simulated solar irradiation ("burn in" degradation) due to the trap-assisted recombination through increased photoinduced trap states, PffBT4T-2OD:EH-IDTBR solar cell shows negligible burn in efficiency loss. Furthermore, PffBT4T-2OD:EH-IDTBR solar cells are found to be substantially more stable under 85 °C thermal stress than PffBT4T-2OD:PC71 BM devices.
Date Issued
2017-09-01
Date Acceptance
2017-04-28
Citation
Advanced Materials, 2017, 29 (33)
ISSN
0935-9648
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
Advanced Materials
Volume
29
Issue
33
Copyright Statement
© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. This is the accepted version of the following article, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201701156/abstract
Sponsor
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28657152
Grant Number
EP/L016702/1
EP/J021199/1
Subjects
charge separation
nonfullerene acceptors
organic solar cells
trap assisted recombination
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Germany
Article Number
ARTN 1701156
Date Publish Online
2017-06-28