Real-time investigation of crystallization and phase-segregation dynamics in P3HT:PCBM solar cells during thermal annealing

Agostinelli, Tiziano, Lilliu, Samuele, Labram, John G., Campoy-Quiles, Mariano, Hampton, Mark David, Pires, Ellis, Rawle, Jonathan, Bikondoa, Oier, Bradley, Donal D. C., Anthopoulos, Thomas D., Nelson, Jenny and Macdonald, John Emyr ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5504-1692 2011. Real-time investigation of crystallization and phase-segregation dynamics in P3HT:PCBM solar cells during thermal annealing. Advanced Functional Materials 21 (9) , pp. 1701-1708. 10.1002/adfm.201002076

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Abstract

Crystallization and phase segregation during thermal annealing lead to the increase of power-conversion efficiency in poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk-heterojunction solar cells. An understanding of the length and time scale on which crystallization and phase segregation occur is important to improve control of the nanomorphology. Crystallization is monitored by means of grazing incidence X-ray diffraction in real time during thermal annealing. Furthermore, the change in film density is monitored by means of ellipsometry and the evolution of carrier mobilities by means of field effect transistors, both during annealing. From the combination of such measurements with those of device performance as a function of annealing time, it is concluded that the evolution of microstructure involves two important time windows: i) A first one of about 5 minutes duration wherein crystallization of the polymer correlates with a major increase of photocurrent; ii) a second window of about 30 minutes during which the aggregation of PCBM continues, accompanied by an increase in the fill factor.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Subjects:	Q Science > QC Physics
Uncontrolled Keywords:	conjugated polymers; electronic processes; microstructures; solar cells; thin films
Publisher:	John Wiley
ISSN:	1616-301x
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2022 08:53
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/19363

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