Issue 2, 2011

A new insight into controlling poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanofiber growth through a mixed-solvent approach for organic photovoltaics applications

Abstract

One dimensional (1-D) nanostructures of conjugated polymers, such as nanofibers, offer the possibility of directed charge transport and improved absorption due to better chains ordering. Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanofibers can be synthesized by utilizing its interaction with marginal solvents. This work explores the effect of different poor solvents in driving P3HT chain self-assembly into nanofibers and also the effect of a small amount of good solvent in such a poor solvent system in controlling the nanofiber morphology. The organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices based on the blend of P3HT nanofibers and PCBM showed an improved short circuit current when anisole was used compared to p-xylene. Surprisingly, the presence of a small amount of good solvent such as chlorobenzene (CB) in anisole resulted in a higher degree of crystallinity and thinner nanofibers compared to purely anisole system. These are evident from the absorption, scattering and morphology data. The presence of CB delayed crystallization, which is evident from the synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. This modification of fiber morphology with CB addition into P3HT/anisole results in an improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.3%; an improvement of more than 50% compared to the pure anisole system. Our investigation provides a new insight into self-assembly of polymers in a mixed solvent system, paving the way to new approaches of controlled self-assembly of organic nanofibers.

Graphical abstract: A new insight into controlling poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanofiber growth through a mixed-solvent approach for organic photovoltaics applications

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Jul 2010
Accepted
31 Aug 2010
First published
25 Oct 2010

J. Mater. Chem., 2011,21, 377-386

A new insight into controlling poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanofiber growth through a mixed-solvent approach for organic photovoltaics applications

S. Sun, T. Salim, L. H. Wong, Y. L. Foo, F. Boey and Y. M. Lam, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 377 DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02109A

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