Issue 15, 2013
From the journal:

Polymer Chemistry

Enhanced thermal stability of organic solar cells by using photolinkable end-capped polythiophenes

Sokha Khiev,ac   Lionel Derue,c   Getachew Ayenew,c   Hussein Medlej,a   Ross Brown,a   Laurent Rubatat,a   Roger C. Hiorns,b   Guillaume Wantz*c  and  Christine Dagron-Lartigau*a  

* Corresponding authors

a Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, IPREM, UMR CNRS 5254, Hélioparc, 2 avenue du Président Angot, 64053 Pau Cedex, France
E-mail: christine.dagron-lartigau@univ-pau.fr

b CNRS, IPREM (UMR 5254, EPCP), Hélioparc, 2 avenue du Président Angot, 64053 Pau Cedex, France

c Univ. Bordeaux, IMS, IPB/ENSCBP, 16 Av. Pey Berland, F-33400 Talence, France, France
E-mail: guillaume.wantz@ims-bordeaux.fr

Abstract

The use of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) end-capped with anthracene (P3HT-A) in a blend with [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is demonstrated to physically stabilize bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic solar cells. Bulk heterojunction-based devices are known to undergo phase separation of donor and acceptor materials during operation resulting in the formation of large (μm scale) PCBM crystals that dramatically decrease the photovoltaic characteristics of the cell. By way of a facile UV-curing step, the P3HT-A chain most likely reacts with PCBM fullerene via a [2+2] cyclo-addition to stabilize the blend. Photovoltaic devices based on P3HT-A and PCBM have been optimised in terms of thermal annealing to obtain initial devices to determine the UV-curing protocols. UV-exposure was found to improve device stability while simultaneously having a minimal effect on device efficiency. Optical microscopy demonstrates that the few reactions of P3HT-A with PCBM are efficient enough to prevent the formation of micro-sized PCBM crystals responsible for the failure of solar cells.

Graphical abstract: Enhanced thermal stability of organic solar cells by using photolinkable end-capped polythiophenes

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C3PY00423F
Article type
Paper
Submitted
01 Apr 2013
Accepted
08 May 2013
First published
09 May 2013

Polym. Chem., 2013,4, 4145-4150

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Enhanced thermal stability of organic solar cells by using photolinkable end-capped polythiophenes

S. Khiev, L. Derue, G. Ayenew, H. Medlej, R. Brown, L. Rubatat, R. C. Hiorns, G. Wantz and C. Dagron-Lartigau, Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 4145 DOI: 10.1039/C3PY00423F

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