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Free Carrier Generation in Organic Photovoltaic Bulk Heterojunctions of Conjugated Polymers with Molecular Acceptors: Planar versus Spherical Acceptors

Overview of attention for article published in ChemPhysChem, March 2014
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Title
Free Carrier Generation in Organic Photovoltaic Bulk Heterojunctions of Conjugated Polymers with Molecular Acceptors: Planar versus Spherical Acceptors
Published in
ChemPhysChem, March 2014
DOI 10.1002/cphc.201301022
Pubmed ID
Authors

Alexandre M. Nardes, Andrew J. Ferguson, Pascal Wolfer, Kurt Gui, Paul L. Burn, Paul Meredith, Nikos Kopidakis

Abstract

A comparative study of the photophysical performance of the prototypical fullerene derivative PC61 BM with a planar small-molecule acceptor in an organic photovoltaic device is presented. The small-molecule planar acceptor is 2-[{7-(9,9-di-n-propyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-yl}methylene]malononitrile, termed K12. We discuss photoinduced free charge-carrier generation and transport in blends of PC61 BM or K12 with poly(3-n-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), surveying literature results for P3HT:PC61 BM and presenting new results on P3HT:K12. For both systems we also review previous work on film structure and correlate the structural and photophysical results. In both cases, a disordered mixed phase is formed between P3HT and the acceptor, although the photophysical properties of this mixed phase differ markedly for PC61 BM and K12. In the case of PC61 BM the mixed phase acts as a free carrier generation region that can efficiently shuttle carriers to the pure polymer and fullerene domains. As a result, the vast majority of excitons quenched in P3HT:PC61 BM blends yield free carriers detected by the contactless time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) method. In contrast, approximately 85 % of the excitons quenched in P3HT:K12 do not result in free carriers over the nanosecond timescale of the TRMC experiment. We attribute this to poor electron-transport properties in the mixed P3HT:K12 phase. We propose that the observed differences can be traced to the respective shapes of PC61 BM and K12: the three-dimensional nature of the fullerene cage facilitates coupling between PC61 BM molecules irrespective of their relative orientation, whereas for K12 strong electronic coupling is only expected for molecules oriented with their π systems parallel to each other. Comparison between the eutectic compositions of the P3HT:PC61 BM and P3HT:K12 shows that the former contains enough fullerene to form a percolation pathway for electrons, whereas the latter contains a sub-percolating volume fraction of the planar acceptor. Furthermore, the planar K12 co-assembles with P3HT into a disordered, glassy phase that partly accounts for the poor electron-transport properties, and may also enhance recombination due to the strong intermolecular interactions between the donor and the acceptor. The implication for the performance of organic photovoltaic devices with the two acceptors is also discussed.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 32 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Germany 1 3%
Brazil 1 3%
Unknown 30 94%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 11 34%
Researcher 9 28%
Professor > Associate Professor 3 9%
Student > Master 3 9%
Student > Bachelor 1 3%
Other 3 9%
Unknown 2 6%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Chemistry 16 50%
Materials Science 5 16%
Physics and Astronomy 3 9%
Chemical Engineering 2 6%
Energy 1 3%
Other 2 6%
Unknown 3 9%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 05 March 2014.
All research outputs
#20,019,324
of 24,602,766 outputs
Outputs from ChemPhysChem
#2,909
of 5,138 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#166,654
of 226,407 outputs
Outputs of similar age from ChemPhysChem
#51
of 137 outputs
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