| 1. |
- Bakulin, Artem A., et al.
(författare)
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Morphology, Temperature, and Field Dependence Separation in High-Efficiency Solar Cells Based on Polyquinoxaline Copolymer
- 2016
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 120:8, s. 4219-4226
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Charge separation and recombination are key processes determining the performance of organic optoelectronic devices. Here we combine photoluminescence and photovoltaic characterization of organic solar cell devices with ultrafast multipulse photocurrent spectroscopy to investigate charge generation mechanisms in the organic photovoltaic devices based on a blend of an alternating polyquinoxaline copolymer with fullerene. The combined use of these techniques enables the determination of the contributions of geminate and bimolecular processes to the solar cell performance. We observe that charge separation is not a temperature-activated process in the studied materials. At the same time, the generation of free charges shows a dear external field and morphology dependence. This indicates that the critical step of charge separation involves the nonequilibrium state that is formed at early times after photoexcitation, when the polaronic localization is not yet complete. This work reveals new aspects of molecular level charge dynamics in the organic light-conversion systems.
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| 2. |
- Bian, Qingzhen, 1988-
(författare)
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Excitonic and charge carrier transport in organic materials and device applications
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- With the potential for future commercial use, organic electronics have been intensively studied for the last few decades. To exploit the next generation of high-performance devices, detailed study of the underlying physics is essential. Excitonic and charge carrier transport plays a critical role in device performance and related studies have attracted a lot of attention in recent decades. This thesis particularly focused on excitonic and charge carrier transport in organic materials and related device applications.In natural light harvesting systems, such as the reaction centers of purple bacteria, quantum coherence has been proposed to be present as a contributor to the related charge and energy transport processes, and almost 100% charge conversion is present in these efficient biological systems. This high energy conversion efficiency inspires the idea that if a similar strategy was used in artificial energy conversion devices such as organic photovoltaics, etc., this could significantly enhance the device’s performance. In the first study, the charge separation process in some donor/acceptor blends was investigated. The contribution of quantum coherence to device performance was studied in detail using several steady state and ultrafast transient techniques. In one efficient donor/acceptor blend, a pronounced coherence of charge separation was identified, which contributed to the enhancement of the photocurrent generation, which finally resulted in efficient device performance.For the light emitting diodes, triplet excitons harvesting plays a critical role in device performance. In the thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials, due to an efficient reverse intersystem process from triplet excitons to singlet excitons, the losses due to triplet excitons were suppressed. As a result, a desired high quantum yield has been achieved. To enhance device efficiency, the detailed study of the upconversion physics between triplet and singlet is needed. Previous studies have proposed some physical models to explain this efficient upconversion process, while the nature of this physical process is still under debate and unclear. In my second work, we studied the exciton kinetics in two different TADF materials. These TADF materials were inserted in a protein fibril host, and the resulting protein scaffold was able to modify the geometric configuration of the related TADF molecule. As a result, an enhancement of the photoluminescence quantum yield was achieved.To achieve efficient device performance in organic electronics, the physical processes at the metal/material interface and charge carrier injection/extraction, also play a critical role. Efficient charge injection can be achieved by Ohmic contact, and charge injection/extraction of metal/organic materials has been intensively studied in the last few decades. In my third study, an efficient hole transport material based on the biopolymer DNA was introduced. A hole doping process was found in the hybrid materials and contributes to the Ohmic contacts. The hybrid material can be used in different organic electronics devices, such as field effect transistors, light emitting diodes and solar cells, and thus demonstrates a general application capability.In organic photovoltaics, the loss from the open circuit photovoltages has been an Achilles’ heel for further enhancement of device performance. The voltage loss includes the radiative and non-radiative value, and intensive studies have focused on how to suppress losses from the non-radiative channel. In my fourth study, the non-radiative voltage loss was studied in a series of terpolymer blends and ternary blends. Compared to the ternary blends, a decreased nonradiative loss was found in the terpolymer blends.
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| 3. |
- Chen, Xian-Kai, et al.
(författare)
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A unified description of non-radiative voltage losses in organic solar cells
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 6:8, s. 799-806
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors have enabled high efficiencies yet their charge dynamics and its impact on the photovoltaic parameters are not fully understood. Now, Chen et al. provide a general description of non-radiative voltage losses in both fullerene and non-fullerene solar cells. Recent advances in organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) come with reduced non-radiative voltage losses (Delta V-nr). Here we show that, in contrast to the energy-gap-law dependence observed in conventional donor:fullerene blends, the Delta V-nr values in state-of-the-art donor:NFA organic solar cells show no correlation with the energies of charge-transfer electronic states at donor:acceptor interfaces. By combining temperature-dependent electroluminescence experiments and dynamic vibronic simulations, we provide a unified description of Delta V-nr for both fullerene- and NFA-based devices. We highlight the critical role that the thermal population of local exciton states plays in low-Delta V-nr systems. An important finding is that the photoluminescence yield of the pristine materials defines the lower limit of Delta V-nr. We also demonstrate that the reduction in Delta V-nr (for example, <0.2 V) can be obtained without sacrificing charge generation efficiency. Our work suggests designing donor and acceptor materials with high luminescence efficiency and complementary optical absorption bands extending into the near-infrared region.
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| 4. |
- Cui, Yong, et al.
(författare)
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Wide-gap non-fullerene acceptor enabling high-performance organic photovoltaic cells for indoor applications
- 2019
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Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2058-7546. ; 4:9, s. 768-775
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organic photovoltaic cells are potential candidates to drive low power consumption off-grid electronics for indoor applications. However, their power conversion efficiency is still limited by relatively large losses in the open-circuit voltage and a non-optimal absorption spectrum for indoor illumination. Here, we carefully designed a non-fullerene acceptor named IO-4CI and blend it with a polymer donor named PBDB-TF to obtain a photoactive layer whose absorption spectrum matches that of indoor light sources. The photovoltaic characterizations reveal a low energy loss below 0.60 eV. As a result, the organic photovoltaic cell (1 cm(2)) shows a power conversion efficiency of 26.1% with an open-circuit voltage of 1.10 V under a light-emitting diode illumination of 1,000 lux (2,700 K). We also fabricated a large-area cell (4 cm(2)) through the blade-coating method. Our cell shows an excellent stability, maintaining its initial photovoltaic performance under continuous illumination of the indoor light source for 1,000 hours.
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| 5. |
- Diaz de Zerio Mendaza, Amaia, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Neat C60:C70 buckminsterfullerene mixtures enhance polymer solar cell performance
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 2:35, s. 14354-14359
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate that bulk-heterojunction blends based on neat, unsubstituted buckminsterfullerenes (C60, C70) and a thiophene–quinoxaline copolymer (TQ1) can be readily processed from solution. Atomic force and transmission electron microscopy as well as photoluminescence spectroscopy reveal that thin films with a fine-grained nanostructure can be spin-coated, which display a good photovoltaic performance. Replacement of substituted fullerenes with C60 or C70 only results in a small drop in open-circuit voltage from 0.9 V to about 0.8 V. Thus, a power conversion efficiency of up to 2.9% can be maintained if C70 is used as the acceptor material. Further improvement in photovoltaic performance to 3.6% is achieved, accompanied by a high internal quantum efficiency of 75%, if a 1 : 1 C60:C70 mixture is used as the acceptor material, due to its improved solubility in ortho-dichlorobenzene.
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| 6. |
- Gao, Feng, et al.
(författare)
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Charge generation in polymer-fullerene bulk-heterojunction solar cells
- 2014
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 16:38, s. 20291-20304
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Charge generation in organic solar cells is a fundamental yet heavily debated issue. This article gives a balanced review of different mechanisms proposed to explain efficient charge generation in polymer-fullerene bulk-heterojunction solar cells. We discuss the effect of charge-transfer states, excess energy, external electric field, temperature, disorder of the materials, and delocalisation of the charge carriers on charge generation. Although a general consensus has not been reached yet, recent findings, based on both steady-state and transient measurements, have significantly advanced our understanding of this process.
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| 7. |
- Gao, Feng, et al.
(författare)
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Temperature Dependence of Charge Carrier Generation in Organic Photovoltaics
- 2015
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - : American Physical Society. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 114:12, s. 128701-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The charge generation mechanism in organic photovoltaics is a fundamental yet heavily debated issue. All the generated charges recombine at the open-circuit voltage (VOC), so that investigation of recombined charges at VOC provides a unique approach to understanding charge generation. At low temperatures, we observe a decrease of VOC, which is attributed to reduced charge separation. Comparison between benchmark polymer: fullerene and polymer: polymer blends highlights the critical role of charge delocalization in charge separation and emphasizes the importance of entropy in charge generation.
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| 8. |
- Gao, Feng, et al.
(författare)
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The Effect of Processing Additives on Energetic Disorder in Highly Efficient Organic Photovoltaics : A Case Study on PBDTTT-C-T:PC71BM
- 2015
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Ingår i: Advanced Materials. - : Wiley-VCH Verlag. - 0935-9648 .- 1521-4095. ; 27:26, s. 3868-3873
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energetic disorder, an important parameter affecting the performance of organic photovoltaics, is significantly decreased upon the addition of processing additives in a highly efficient benzodithiophene-based copolymer blend (PBDTTT-C-T:PC71BM). Wide-angle and small-angle X-ray scattering measurements suggest that the origin of this reduced energetic disorder is due to increased aggregation and a larger average fullerene domain size together with purer phases.
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| 9. |
- Hou, Jianhui, et al.
(författare)
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Organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Materials. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1476-1122 .- 1476-4660. ; 17:2, s. 119-128
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organic solar cells (OSCs) have been dominated by donor: acceptor blends based on fullerene acceptors for over two decades. This situation has changed recently, with non-fullerene (NF) OSCs developing very quickly. The power conversion efficiencies of NF OSCs have now reached a value of over 13%, which is higher than the best fullerene-based OSCs. NF acceptors show great tunability in absorption spectra and electron energy levels, providing a wide range of new opportunities. The coexistence of low voltage losses and high current generation indicates that new regimes of device physics and photophysics are reached in these systems. This Review highlights these opportunities made possible by NF acceptors, and also discuss the challenges facing the development of NF OSCs for practical applications.
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| 10. |
- Kroon, Renee, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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A New Tetracyclic Lactam Building Block for Thick, Broad-Bandgap Photovoltaics
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society. - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 136:33, s. 11578-11581
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new tetracyclic lactam building block for polymer semiconductors is reported that was designed to combine the many favorable properties that larger fused and/or amide-containing building blocks can induce, including improved solid-state packing, high charge carrier mobility, and improved charge separation. Copolymerization with thiophene resulted in a semicrystalline conjugated polymer, PTNT, with a broad bandgap of 2.2 eV. Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering of PTNT thin films revealed a strong tendency for face-on pi-stacking of the polymer backbone, which was retained in PTNT:firllerene blends. Corresponding solar cells featured a high open-circuit voltage of 0.9 V, a fill factor around 0.6, and a power conversion efficiency as high as 596 for greater than200 nm thick active layers, regardless of variations in blend stoichiometry and nanostructure. Moreover, efficiencies of greater than4% could be retained when thick active layers of similar to 400 rim were employed. Overall, these values are the highest reported for a conjugated polymer with such a broad bandgap and are unprecedented in materials for tandem and particularly ternary blend photovoltaics. Hence, the newly developed tetracyclic lactam unit has significant potential as a conjugated building block in future organic electronic materials.
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