Issue 21, 2018

Highly efficient and highly stable terpolymer-based all-polymer solar cells with broad complementary absorption and robust morphology

Abstract

A novel conjugated terpolymer referred to as Ter-3MTTPD was successfully synthesized using 4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene as a donor and methyl thiophene-3-carboxylate (3MT) and 5-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6(5H)-dione (TPD) as acceptor units to investigate the effects of the terpolymer structure on the optical and electrochemical properties. The performance of an all-polymer solar cell (all-PSC) was comprehensively examined by blending the terpolymer with 2,7-bis(2-hexyldecyl)-4-(selenophen-2-yl)benzo[lmn][3,8]phenanthroline-1,3,6,8(2H,7H)-tetraone (NDI-Se). The as-cast blend film of Ter-3MTTPD:NDI-Se exhibits the highest power conversion efficiency of 7.66% in the all-PSC. This was further supported by the results of time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) in Ter-3MTTPD:NDI-Se blend film states which yielded the highest PL quenching efficiency (90%) resulting from the shortest average lifetime, τave of ∼67 ps, much smaller than those of the two binary copolymer blend films (e.g., τave = 194 ps and 149 ps, respectively, for Co-3MT:NDI-Se and Co-TPD:NDI-Se). In addition, for an as-cast blend film of Ter-3MTTPD:NDI-Se in the active layer, the shelf-life (∼1000 h) of the all-PSC under ambient conditions was found to be much better compared to those of PSCs based on the other two binary copolymers, Co-3MT and Co-TPD.

Graphical abstract: Highly efficient and highly stable terpolymer-based all-polymer solar cells with broad complementary absorption and robust morphology

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Feb 2018
Accepted
26 Apr 2018
First published
27 Apr 2018

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018,6, 10095-10103

Highly efficient and highly stable terpolymer-based all-polymer solar cells with broad complementary absorption and robust morphology

A. Kim, C. G. Park, S. H. Park, H. J. Kim, S. Choi, Y. U. Kim, C. H. Jeong, W. Chae, M. J. Cho and D. H. Choi, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, 10095 DOI: 10.1039/C8TA01765D

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