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The effect of the additive 1,8-octanedithiol (ODT) on the nanometer-scale morphology and local photophysical properties of low-bandgap polymer blends of poly[2,6-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b'] dithiophene)- alt-4,7(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) and [6,6]-phenyl C(61) -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is investigated. Phase separations of the PCPDTBT:PCBM blend film induced by ODT are visualized by the morphological changes from fibril-shaped features to spherical bumps, by the dramatically increased photoluminescence emission from PCPDTBT that was originally largely quenched, and by the fluctuations of spectral features at different locations of the sample surface. The correlations between the morphology and the local photophysical properties of the blend film with/without ODT at both the micrometer and nanometer scales are revealed by confocal and high-resolution near-field spectroscopic mapping techniques., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Abstract: With the aid of optical modeling, the internal quantum efficiencies of organic Bulk Heterojunction (oBHJ) photovoltaic devices based on low band gap polymer of poly[(4,4′-bis(2-ethylhexyl)dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]silole)-2,6-diyl-alt-(4,7-bis(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-5,5′-diyl] (Si-PCPDTBT) blended with the acceptors of 1-(3-Methoxycarbonyl) propyl-1-phenyl [6,6] C61 (PCBM) and bis–adduct (bis–PCBM) are determined. The Si-PCPDTBT:bis–PCBM devices show considerably lower short circuit current density (J sc) as compared to the Si-PCPDTBT:PCBM devices. The results show that 30% of this smaller J sc is due to the lower optical absorption of bis–PCBM, while the major losses originate from the electrical losses. It is found that for the best Si-PCPDTBT:bis–PCBM devices with an active layer thickness in the range of 70–100nm, the inefficient charge generation within the bis–PCBM domains is the major contribution to the whole losses. Increasing the active layer thickness of Si-PCPDTBT:bis–PCBM device significantly enhances recombination losses in polymer/bis–fullerene matrix. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We designed and synthesized a series of conjugated polymers containing alternating 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene units and comonomers consisting of 2,2'-bithiophene, 3'', 4'' -dihexyl-α -pentathiophene, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene and 5,5' -bis(2-thienyl)-4,4' -dihexyl-2,2' -bithiazole. These polymers possess optical bandgaps in the range of 1.75 to 2.0 eV. The desirable absorption attributes of these materials make then excellent candidates for use in photovoltaic cells. Electrochemical studies indicate desirable HOMO-LUMO levels for use with fullerene derivatives as electron transporters. Field effect transistors made of these materials show hole mobilities in the range of 7.5 × 10-4 cm2/Vs to 2.0 × 10-3 cm2/Vs. Due to the combination of these characteristics, power conversion efficiencies up to 3.1% were achieved on devices made of bulk heterojunction composites of these materials with soluble fullerene derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have studied organic bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices based on a bridged-bithiophene donor–acceptor type low-band gap polymer blended with PCBM and bis-PCBM. The impact of the molecular arrangement is discussed in terms of the correlation between the solar-cell performance and the degree of crystallization. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) prove that films with bis-PCBM typically result in more amorphous blends than comparable films with PCBM. Electron tomography (ET) is used to visualize the three dimensional morphology of photoactive layers, confirming the presence of nanofibers, formed in different scales through the thickness in the blended films with mono and bis-fullerenes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]