Solar bulk heterojunction

Dennler, G. Scharber, M. C. Brabec, C. ]., Polymer-fullerene bulk-heterojunction solar cells. Adv. Mater. 2009, 21,1323-1338. 

Fig. 3 Contemporary organic solar cell devices are based on donor/acceptor heterojunction device architectures, (a) Energy level diagram, (b) Planar heterojunction conligmation. (c) Bulk heterojunction configuration...

Liang YY, Xu Z, Xia JB, Tsai ST, Wu Y, Li G, Ray C, Yu LP (2010) For the bright future-bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells with power conversion efficiency of 7.4%. Adv Mater 22 E135... 

Howard lA, Laquai F (2010) Optical probes of charge generation and recombination in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. Macromol Chem Phys 211 2063... 

Blom PWM, Mihailetchi VD, Koster LJA, Markov DE (2007) Device physics of polymer fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells. Adv Mater 19 1551 Onsager L (1938) Initial recombination of ions. Phys Rev 54 554... 

Limpinsel M, Wagenpfahl A, Mingebach M, Deibel C, Dyakonov V (2010) Photocurrent in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Phys Rev B 81 085203... 

Pal SK, Kesti T, Maiti M, Zhang EL, Inganas O, Hellstrom S, Andersson MR, Oswald F, Langa F, Osterman T, Pascher T, Yartsev A, Sundstrom V (2010) Gemmate charge recombination in polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction films and implications for solar cell function. J Am Chem Soc 132 12440... 

Scharber MC, Wuhlbacher D, Koppe M, Denk P, Waldauf C, Heeger AJ, Brabec CL (2006) Design rules for donors in bulk-heterojunction solar cells - towards 10% energy-conversion efficiency. Adv Mater 18 789... 

One of the most promising uses of C60 involves its potential application, when mixed with 7r-conjligated polymers, in polymer solar cells. Most often the so-called bulk heterojunction configuration is used, in which the active layer consists of a blend of electron-donating materials, for example, p-type conjugated polymers, and an electron-accepting material (n-type), such as (6,6)-phenyl-Cgi -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM, Scheme 9.6).38... 

FIGURE 2. Device configuration for heterojunction (a) and bulk-heterojunction (b) organic thin film solar cells. 

The incorporation of siloles in polymers is of interest and importance in chemistry and functionalities. Some optoelectronic properties, impossible to obtain in silole small molecules, may be realized with silole-containing polymers (SCPs). The first synthesis of SCPs was reported in 1992.21 Since then, different types of SCPs, such as main chain type 7r-conjugated SCPs catenated through the aromatic carbon of a silole, main chain type cr-conjugated SCPs catenated through the silicon atom of a silole, SCPs with silole pendants, and hyperbranched or dendritic SCPs (Fig. 2), have been synthesized.10 In this chapter, the functionalities of SCPs, such as band gap, photoluminescence, electroluminescence, bulk-heterojunction solar cells, field effect transistors, aggregation-induced emission, chemosensors, conductivity, and optical limiting, are summarized. 

In a bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic cell with methanofullerene [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as an electron acceptor, alternating copolymer 19 (Fig. 9), derived from 2,7-fluorene and 2,5-dithienylsilole, can show impressive performance as the electron donor.31 In a device configuration of ITO/PEDOT/active layer/Ba/Al, the dark current density—bias curve shows a small leakage current, suggesting a continuous, pinhole-free active layer in the device. Under illumination of an AM 1.5 solar simulator at 100 mW/cm2, a high short-circuit current of 5.4 mA/cm2, an open-circuit voltage of 0.7 V, and a fill factor of 31.5% are achieved. The calculated energy conversion efficiency is 2.01%. 

Nowadays the best performing organic photovoltaic cell is represented by a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell based on the polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and the fullerene derivative [6, 6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), with reproducible efficiencies approaching 5% [262,263], However, a serious drawback for the preparation of efficient organic photovoltaic cells is represented by the low optical absorbance in the red/near-infrared region of the lightharvesting component(s), as well as their low extinction coefflcient(s). 

A series of ruthenium(II) phthalocyanines with one or two pyridyl dendritic olig-othiophene axial substituent(s) have also been reported (compounds 50 and 51) [50], The dendritic ligands absorb in the region from 380 to 550 nm, which complements the absorptions of the phthalocyanine core. This combination results in better light harvesting property and enhancement in efficiency of the corresponding solar cells. The solution-processed photovoltaic devices made with these compounds and fullerene acceptor give efficiencies of up to 1.6%. These represent the most efficient phthalocyanine-based bulk heterojunction solar cells reported so far. 

Both phthalocyanines and squaraines are good candidates for bulk heterojunction solar cells. Recently, a supramolecular hetero-array of these functional dyes Pc-Sq-Pc (compound 52) has been reported for the first time, which exhibits a large coverage of the solar spectrum from 250 to 850 nm [51]. This axially held assembly serves as a robust panchromatic sensitizer. Upon excitation, it forms the radical ion pair Pc+-Sq -Pc with a long lifetime of 24 2 p,s. The use of this assembly as a donor material in solution processable bulk heterojunction solar cells has also been briefly studied. 

It is the purpose of this chapter to introduce photoinduced charge transfer phenomena in bulk heterojunction composites, i.e., blends of conjugated polymers and fullerenes. Phenomena found in other organic solar cells such as pristine fullerene cells [11,12], dye sensitised liquid electrolyte [13] or solid state polymer electrolyte cells [14], pure dye cells [15,16] or small molecule cells [17], mostly based on heterojunctions between phthalocyanines and perylenes [18] or other bilayer systems will not be discussed here, but in the corresponding chapters of this book. 

Semiconductor Aspects of Organic Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells 161... 

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