Physics

Structure–Function Relationships Of Fullerene Esters In Polymer Solar Cells: Unexpected Structural Effects On Lifetime And Efficiency, Michael Tro, Alexis Sarabia, Kyle J. Bandaccari, David Oparko, Emma Lewis, Maxwell J. Giammona, Justin Isaac, Parisa Tajalli-Tehrani Valverde, Grace E. Chesmore, Thorsteinn Adalsteinsson, Richard P. Barber Jr., Brian J. Mcnelis

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 …

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Transport And Spectroscopic Studies Of The Effects Of Fullerene Structure On The Efficiency And Lifetime Of Polythiophene-Based Solar Cells, Emilee L. Sena, Justin H. Peel, Devin Wesenberg, Shreya Nathan, Marianne Wallis, Maxwell J. Giammona, Thorsteinn Adalsteinsson, Brian J. Mcnelis, Richard P. Barber Jr.

Physics

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 …

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Influence Of Functionalized Fullerene Structure On Polymer Photovoltaic Degradation, Brian H. Johnson, Enaanake Allagoa, Robert L. Thomas, Gregory Stettler, Marianne Wallis, Justn H. Peel, Thorsteinn Adalsteinsson, Brian J. Mcnelis, Richard P. Barber Jr.

Physics

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 …

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Influence Of Functionalized Fullerene Structure On Polymer Photovoltaic Degradation, Brian H. Johnson, Enaanake Allagoa, Robert L. Thomas, Gregory Stettler, Marianne Wallis, Justn H. Peel, Thorsteinn Adalsteinsson, Brian J. Mcnelis, Richard P. Barber Jr.

Physics