Molecular design toward efficient polymer solar cells with high polymer content.

A novel polythiophene derivative, PBT1, was designed, synthesized, and applied in polymer solar cells (PSCs). This work provides a successful example of using molecular structure as a tool to realize optimal photovoltaic performance with high polymer content, thus enabling the realization of efficient photoabsorption in very thin films. As a result, an efficiency of 6.88% was recorded in a PSC with a 75 nm active layer.

[1]  W. Su,et al.  Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering Characterization of Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells with Different Fullerene Derivatives , 2012 .

[2]  Yang Yang,et al.  Bandgap and Molecular Energy Level Control of Conjugated Polymer Photovoltaic Materials Based on Benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene , 2008 .

[3]  Zhan'ao Tan,et al.  Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of two-dimensional conjugated polythiophenes with bi(thienylenevinylene) side chains. , 2006, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[4]  J. Hummelen,et al.  Polymer Photovoltaic Cells: Enhanced Efficiencies via a Network of Internal Donor-Acceptor Heterojunctions , 1995, Science.

[5]  Gang Li,et al.  “Solvent Annealing” Effect in Polymer Solar Cells Based on Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) and Methanofullerenes , 2007 .

[6]  Yang Yang,et al.  High-efficiency solution processable polymer photovoltaic cells by self-organization of polymer blends , 2005 .

[7]  John R. Tumbleston,et al.  The Importance of Fullerene Percolation in the Mixed Regions of Polymer–Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells , 2013 .

[8]  Yang Yang,et al.  Regioregular copolymers of 3-alkoxythiophene and their photovoltaic application. , 2006, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[9]  O. Inganäs,et al.  An Easily Synthesized Blue Polymer for High‐Performance Polymer Solar Cells , 2010, Advanced materials.

[10]  Jin Young Kim,et al.  Processing additives for improved efficiency from bulk heterojunction solar cells. , 2008, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[11]  Ligui Li,et al.  Improving performance of polymer photovoltaic devices using an annealing-free approach via construction of ordered aggregates in solution , 2008 .

[12]  Gang Li,et al.  Recent Progress in Polymer Solar Cells: Manipulation of Polymer:Fullerene Morphology and the Formation of Efficient Inverted Polymer Solar Cells , 2009 .

[13]  Yongfang Li.  Molecular design of photovoltaic materials for polymer solar cells: toward suitable electronic energy levels and broad absorption. , 2012, Accounts of chemical research.

[14]  M. Popławska,et al.  Addition of nitrile oxides to C60: formation of isoxazoline derivatives of fullerenes , 1993 .

[15]  Valentin D. Mihailetchi,et al.  Device Physics of Polymer:Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells , 2007 .

[16]  Y. Ie,et al.  Synthesis, Properties, and Photovoltaic Performances of Donor–Acceptor Copolymers Having Dioxocycloalkene-Annelated Thiophenes As Acceptor Monomer Units , 2012 .

[17]  David S. Germack,et al.  Bilayer order in a polycarbazole-conjugated polymer , 2012, Nature Communications.

[18]  Yang Yang,et al.  Polymer solar cells with enhanced open-circuit voltage and efficiency , 2009 .

[19]  Yang Yang,et al.  Synthesis, characterization, and photovoltaic properties of a low band gap polymer based on silole-containing polythiophenes and 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole. , 2008, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[20]  A J Heeger,et al.  Efficiency enhancement in low-bandgap polymer solar cells by processing with alkane dithiols. , 2007, Nature materials.

[21]  Yongfang Li,et al.  Synthesis and electroluminescence of novel copolymers containing crown ether spacers , 2003 .

[22]  Jianhui Hou,et al.  Design, Application, and Morphology Study of a New Photovoltaic Polymer with Strong Aggregation in Solution State , 2012 .

[23]  Xiong Gong,et al.  Thermally Stable, Efficient Polymer Solar Cells with Nanoscale Control of the Interpenetrating Network Morphology , 2005 .

[24]  M. Toney,et al.  Tuning the properties of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells by adjusting fullerene size to control intercalation. , 2009, Nano letters.

[25]  Yongfang Li,et al.  Influence of D/A Ratio on Photovoltaic Performance of a Highly Efficient Polymer Solar Cell System , 2012, Advanced materials.

[26]  B. Collins,et al.  Fullerene-Dependent Miscibility in the Silole-Containing Copolymer PSBTBT-08 , 2011 .

[27]  Feng Xu,et al.  Replacing alkoxy groups with alkylthienyl groups: a feasible approach to improve the properties of photovoltaic polymers. , 2011, Angewandte Chemie.

[28]  Yang Yang,et al.  Systematic investigation of benzodithiophene- and diketopyrrolopyrrole-based low-bandgap polymers designed for single junction and tandem polymer solar cells. , 2012, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[29]  Niyazi Serdar Sariciftci,et al.  Morphology of polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells , 2006 .

[30]  John R. Tumbleston,et al.  Absolute Measurement of Domain Composition and Nanoscale Size Distribution Explains Performance in PTB7:PC71BM Solar Cells , 2013 .

[31]  Yong Cao,et al.  Electrochemical properties of luminescent polymers and polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells , 1999 .

[32]  Paul A. van Hal,et al.  Efficient methano[70]fullerene/MDMO-PPV bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells. , 2003, Angewandte Chemie.