19 research outputs found
Transport and Spectroscopic Studies of the Effects of Fullerene Structure on the Efficiency and Lifetime of Polythiophene-based Solar Cells
Time-dependent measurements of both power conversion efficiency and
ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy have been observed for solar cell
blends containing the polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) with two
different functionalized C60 electron acceptor molecules: commercially
available [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) or [6,6]-phenyl C61
butyric acid octadecyl ester (PCBOD) produced in this laboratory. Efficiency
was found to decay with an exponential time dependence, while spectroscopic
features show saturating exponential behavior. Time constants extracted from
both types of measurements showed reasonable agreement for samples produced
from the same blend. In comparison to the PCBM samples, the stability of the
PCBOD blends was significantly enhanced, while both absorption and power
conversion efficiency were decreased.Comment: manuscript submitted to Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cell
Diffusion exchange NMR spectroscopic study of dextran exchange through polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules
Diffusion exchange NMR spectroscopic study of dextran exchange through polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules: Diffusion exchange NMR spectroscopic study of dextran exchangethrough polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules
Influence of functionalized fullerene structure on polymer photovoltaic degradation
The time dependence of device performance has been measured for photocells using blends containing the conjugated polymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) with two different functionalized C60 electron acceptor molecules: commercially available [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) or [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid octadecyl ester (PCBOD) produced in this laboratory. Performance was characterized by the short-circuit current output of the devices, with the time dependence of PCBM samples typically degrading exponentially. Variations in the characteristic lifetime of the devices were observed to depend on the molar fraction of the electron acceptor molecules (calculated with respect to the MEH-PPV monomer fraction). In comparison to the PCBM samples, the stability of the PCBOD blends was significantly enhanced, with a one or two order of magnitude improvement. Corresponding spectroscopic data with similar time evolution as the transport measurements suggest an independent means for determining and understanding degradation mechanisms
Structure–function relationships of fullerene esters in polymer solar cells: unexpected structural effects on lifetime and efficiency
We report both transport measurements and spectroscopic data of polymer/fullerene blend photovoltaics using a small library of fullerene esters to correlate device properties with a range of functionality and structural diversity of the ester substituent. We observe that minor structural changes can lead to significant and surprising differences in device efficiency and lifetime. For example we have found that isomeric R-groups in the fullerene ester-based devices we have studied have dramatically different efficiencies. The characteristic lifetimes derived from both transport and spectroscopic measurements are generally comparable; however, some more rapid effects in specific fullerene esters are not observed spectroscopically. It is apparent from our results that each fullerene derivative requires re-optimization to reveal the best device performance. Furthermore we conclude that a library approach is essential for evaluating the effects of structural differences in the constituent molecules and serves as important device optimization method that is not being currently employed in photovoltaic investigations