| 1. |
- Emanuelsson, Christian
(author)
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Electronic Structure and Film Morphology Studies of PTCDI on Metal/Semiconductor Surfaces
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Organic semiconductors have received increasing attention over the last decades as potential alternatives for inorganic semiconductors. The properties of these films are highly dependent on their structural order. Of special interest is the interface between the film and its substrate, since the structure of the interface and the first few layers decide the growth of the rest of the film. The interface structure is determined by the substrate/molecule interactions, the intermolecular interactions and the growth conditions.In this thesis, thin films of the organic semiconductor PTCDI have been studied using complementary microscopy and spectroscopy techniques on two metal-induced surface reconstructions, Ag/Si(111)-√3×√3 and Sn/Si(111)-2√3×2√3. These surfaces were chosen because they have different reactivities and surface periodicities. On the weakly interacting Ag-terminated surface, the film growth is mainly governed by the intermolecular interactions. This leads to well-ordered films that grow layer-by-layer. The interaction with the substrate is through electron charge transfer to the molecules from the substrate. This results in two different types of molecules with different electronic structure, which are identified using both STM images and PES spectra. On the more strongly interacting Sn-terminated surface the molecules adsorb in specific adsorption geometries and form 1D rows. At around 0.5 ML coverage the rows also interact with each other and form a 4√3×2√3 reconstruction and beyond one ML coverage the growth is characterized as island growth. The interaction with the substrate is mainly due to heavy electron charge transfer from the Sn atoms in the substrate to the C atoms in the imide group, but also the N atoms and the perylene core in PTCDI are involved. In these systems, the interactions with the surfaces result in new states inside the HOMO-LUMO gap, and the intermolecular interactions are dominated by O···H and O···H-N hydrogen bondings.
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| 2. |
- Blazinic, Vanja
(author)
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Probing the effects of photodegradation of acceptor materials in polymer solar cells: bulk, surface, and molecular level
- 2019
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Polymer solar cells (PSC) have reached record power conversion efficiencies of over 15%. The operational lifetime of PSCs, however, has to increase for their use in large area outdoor applications. In this work, a set of spectroscopic techniques (UV-vis, FTIR, NEXAFS, XPS) was used to study the impact of exposure to light and air (photo-oxidation) on the photoactive layer and its components. We focused on the electron acceptor components: the fullerene derivatives, PC60BM and PC70BM, and the polymer N2200. A comparative study of photo-oxidized PC60BM and PC70BM thin films by UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy has shown that both materials undergo similar photochemical transformation, with the process being faster in PC60BM, due to the greater curvature of the C60 cage. Comparing experimental FTIR, XPS and NEXAFS spectra of the photo-oxidized PC60BM thin films with the calculated spectra for a large variety of photo-oxidation products, it was found that dicarbonyl and anhydride groups attach to the C60 cage during photo-oxidation. The study of photo-oxidized TQ1:PC70BM blend films by spectroscopic and J-V measurements shows that deterioration of the charge transport in PC70BM is the major contributor to the device performance degradation. Kelvin Probe measurements demonstrated that the charge transport deterioration was due to upward band bending and gap states being formed on the surface of photo-oxidized PC70BM. The TQ1:PC70BM blends films were further studied by AFM-IR in order to determine the lateral distribution of pristine components, as well as the photo-oxidation products. It was found that anhydride oxidation products of PC70BM are equally distributed over the blend film surface. The PC70BM is replaced with the polymer N2200 in the blend with TQ1. The photostability in air of the blend and its neat components was studied by UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy. The spectra show that thermal annealing improves the photostability in air of both components.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Andronic, L., et al.
(author)
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Photocatalytic self-cleaning properties of thin films of photochromic yttrium oxyhydride
- 2022
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In: Journal of Solid State Chemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0022-4596 .- 1095-726X. ; 316
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oxyhydride of yttrium (YHO) belongs to an emerging class of materials, with oxide and hydride anions sharingthe same sites in the lattice. Under sunlight irradiation, the material is transparent to visible light with trans-parency exceeding 85% and can absorb about 10% of sunlight. Furthermore, increasing light transmittance in thevisible light enhanced the self-cleaning properties of the coated materials, making these materials promisingcandidates for smart windows applications. However, the light-absorbing properties of the materials wereincreased with exposure time, and in the photodarkening state, they can absorb about 40% of sunlight. Kelvinprobe measurements show work function values between 2.9 and 4.2 eV for YHO, depending on the H2/Arpressure in the deposition chamber. Using the Kelvin probe, we demonstrate that the work function decreaseswith decreasing deposition pressure and hydrogen flow. Measurements under solar light reveal a decrease of workfunction by 0.2 eV followed by a slow relaxation with the light off. Moreover, the self-cleaning test shows that theoxyhydroxide thin films have excellent photocatalytic activity and total self-cleaning in 40 h.
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| 5. |
- Awsiuk, Kamil, et al.
(author)
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Electrically Switchable Film Structure of Conjugated Polymer Composites
- 2022
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In: Materials. - : MDPI. - 1996-1944 .- 1996-1944. ; 15:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Domains rich in different blend components phase-separate during deposition, creating a film morphology that determines the performance of active layers in organic electronics. However, morphological control either relies on additional fabrication steps or is limited to a small region where an external interaction is applied. Here, we show that different semiconductor-insulator polymer composites can be rapidly dip-coated with the film structure electrically switched between distinct morphologies during deposition guided by the meniscus formed between the stationary barrier and horizontally drawn solid substrate. Reversible and repeatable changes between the morphologies used in devices, e.g., lateral morphologies and stratified layers of semiconductors and insulators, or between phase-inverted droplet-like structures are manifested only for one polarity of the voltage applied across the meniscus as a rectangular pulse. This phenomenon points to a novel mechanism, related to voltage-induced doping and the doping-dependent solubility of the conjugated polymer, equivalent to an increased semiconductor content that controls the composite morphologies. This is effective only for the positively polarized substrate rather than the barrier, as the former entrains the nearby lower part of the coating solution that forms the final composite film. The mechanism, applied to the pristine semiconductor solution, results in an increased semiconductor deposition and 40-times higher film conductance.
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| 6. |
- Blazinic, Vanja, et al.
(author)
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Impact of intentional photo-oxidation of a donor polymer and PC70BM on solar cell performance
- 2019
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In: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 21, s. 22259-22271
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A short lifetime is the main factor hindering the wider implementation of low-cost organic photovoltaics in large-area and outdoor applications. Ingress of oxygen and water vapour through non-ideal encapsulation layers is a known cause of degradation for polymer/fullerene based solar cells. To better understand the origin of this performance degradation, we study the effect of intentional exposure of the photo-active layer to simulated sunlight (AM1.5) in air both on the solar cell performance and on the molecular semiconductor materials. Cathode-free thin films of a blend of the electron donor polymer poly[2,3-bis-(3-octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline-5,8-diyl-alt-thiophene-2,5-diyl] (TQ1) and the electron acceptor fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C70-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) were exposed to simulated sunlight in air. Fourier-transform infrared spectra demonstrate the formation of carbonyl photo-oxidation products in the blend films, as well as in the pristine polymer and fullerene films. Solar cells prepared with photo-oxidized active layers show increasingly degraded electrical performance (lower short circuit current, open circuit voltage and fill factor) with increasing exposure time. The increased diode ideality factor indicates that trap-assisted recombination hinders device operation after exposure. The external quantum efficiency decreases drastically with increasing exposure time over the whole photon energy range, while the UV-vis absorption spectra of the blend films only show a mild photo-induced bleaching. This demonstrates that not only the photo-induced degradation of the solar cell performance is not predominantly caused by the loss in light absorption, but charge transport and collection are also hampered. This is explained by the fact that photo-oxidation of PC70BM causes bonds in its conjugated cage to break, as evidenced by the decreased ∏* intensity in C1s-NEXAFS spectra of PC70BM films. This degradation of unoccupied states of PC70BM will hinder the transport of photo-generated electrons to the electrode. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy gives direct evidence for gap states at the surface of a PC70BM film, formed after 2 hours of exposure and resulting in upward band bending at the PC70BM/air surface. These observations indicate that the photo-oxidation of PC70BM is likely to be the main cause of the performance degradation observed when the photoactive layer of a TQ1:PC70BM solar cell is intentionally exposed to light in air.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Brumboiu, Iulia E., 1987-, et al.
(author)
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Photooxidation of PC60BM : new insights from spectroscopy
- 2022
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In: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 24:42, s. 25753-25766
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This joint experimental-theoretical spectroscopy study of the fullerene derivative PC60BM ([6,6]-phenyl-C60-butyric acid methyl ester) aims to improve the understanding of the effect of photooxidation on its electronic structure. We have studied spin-coated thin films of PC60BM by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Near-edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), before and after intentional exposure to simulated sunlight in air for different lengths of time. The π* resonance in the C1s NEXAFS spectrum was found to be a very sensitive probe for the early changes to the fullerene cage, while FTIR spectra, in combination with O1s NEXAFS spectra, enabled the identification of the oxidation products. The changes observed in the spectra obtained by these complementary methods were compared with the corresponding Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculated single-molecule spectra of a large set of in silico generated oxidation products of PC60BM where oxygen atoms were attached to the C60 cage. This comparison confirms that photooxidation of PC60BM disrupts the conjugation of the fullerene cage by a transition from sp2 to sp3-hybridized carbon and causes the formation of several oxidation products, earlier proposed for C60. The agreement between experimental and calculated IR spectra suggests moreover the presence of dicarbonyl and anhydride structures on the fullerene cage, in combination with cage opening at the adsorption site. By including PC60BM with physisorbed O2 molecules on the cage in our theoretical description in order to model oxygen diffused through the film, the experimental O1s XPS and O1s NEXAFS spectra could be reproduced.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Ciammaruchi, Laura, et al.
(author)
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Stability of organic solar cells with PCDTBT donor polymer : An interlaboratory study
- 2018
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In: Journal of Materials Research. - New York : Cambridge University Press. - 0884-2914 .- 2044-5326. ; 33:13, s. 1909-1924
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This work is part of the interlaboratory collaboration to study the stability of organic solar cells containing PCDTBT polymer as a donor material. The varieties of the OPV devices with different device architectures, electrode materials, encapsulation, and device dimensions were prepared by seven research laboratories. Sets of identical devices were aged according to four different protocols: shelf lifetime, laboratory weathering under simulated illumination at ambient temperature, laboratory weathering under simulated illumination, and elevated temperature (65 degrees C) and daylight outdoor weathering under sunlight. The results generated in this study allow us to outline several general conclusions related to PCDTBT-based bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. The results herein reported can be considered as practical guidance for the realization of stabilization approaches in BHJ solar cells containing PCDTBT.
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| 11. |
- Cirillo, Emilio N.M., et al.
(author)
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A lattice model approach to the morphology formation from ternary mixtures during the evaporation of one component
- 2019
-
In: The European Physical Journal Special Topics. - : Springer. - 1951-6355 .- 1951-6401. ; 228:1, s. 55-68
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Stimulated by experimental evidence in the field of solution-born thin films, we study the morphology formation in a three state lattice system subjected to the evaporation of one component. The practical problem that we address is the understanding of the parameters that govern morphology formation from a ternary mixture upon evaporation, as is the case in the fabrication of thin films from solution for organic photovoltaics. We use, as a tool, a generalized version of the Potts and Blume-Capel models in 2D, with the Monte Carlo Kawasaki-Metropolis algorithm, to simulate the phase behaviour of a ternary mixture upon evaporation of one of its components. The components with spin 1, −1 and 0 in the Blume-Capel dynamics correspond to the electron-acceptor, electron-donor and solvent molecules, respectively, in a ternary mixture used in the preparation of the active layer films in an organic solar cell. Furthermore, we introduce parameters that account for the relative composition of the mixture, temperature, and interaction between the species in the system. We identify the parameter regions that are prone to facilitate the phase separation. Furthermore, we study qualitatively the types of formed configurations. We show that even a relatively simple model, as the present one, can generate key morphological features, similar to those observed in experiments, which proves the method valuable for the study of complex systems.
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| 12. |
- Deng, Min, et al.
(author)
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Fine regulation of crystallisation tendency to optimize the BHJ nanostructure and performance of polymer solar cells
- 2020
-
In: Nanoscale. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2040-3364 .- 2040-3372. ; 12:24, s. 12928-12941
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optimizing the nanostructure of the active layer of polymer solar cells (PSCs) is one of the main challenges to achieve high device performances. The phase separation of the donor polymer and molecular acceptor within the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) layer is often driven by the crystallisation of the acceptor molecules. Hence, a suitable crystallisation tendency of the chosen acceptor is ultimately important. In this work, we identified melting temperature as an indicator for the crystallisation tendency and introduced extended fused-aromatic rings to the end groups of the nonfullerene acceptor molecule to enhance the intermolecular binding energy as well as its crystallisation tendency. The crystallinity, crystal regularity and average crystal size were significantly increased for those molecules with larger fused end groups. The devices containing molecule IDTTC with two fused thiophene rings, which displayed intermediate crystallisation tendency, were found to possess an optimized phase separation scale, balanced hole/electron mobility and highest device performances with the fill factor as high as 73.2% and a power conversion efficiency of 13.49%. With the above observations, we established a new route and paradigm to adjust the crystallisation tendency and BHJ nanostructure of nonfullerene acceptor molecules, thus enhancing the device performances through molecular engineering.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Fan, Qunping, 1989, et al.
(author)
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High-performance all-polymer solar cells enabled by a novel low bandgap non-fully conjugated polymer acceptor
- 2021
-
In: Science in China Series B. - : Springer Nature. - 1674-7291 .- 1869-1870. ; 64, s. 1380-1388
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anon-fully conjugated polymer as a new class of acceptor materials has shown some advantages over its small molecular counterpart when used in photoactive layers for all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), despite a low power conversion efficiency (PCE) caused by its narrow absorption spectra. Herein, a novel non-fully conjugated polymer acceptor PFY-2TS with a low bandgap of similar to 1.40 eV was developed, via polymerizing a large pi-fused small molecule acceptor (SMA) building block (namely YBO) with a non-conjugated thioalkyl linkage. Compared with its precursor YBO, PFY-2TS retains a similar low bandgap but a higher LUMO level. Moreover, compared with the structural analog of YBO-based fully conjugated polymer acceptor PFY-DTC, PFY-2TS shows similar absorption spectrum and electron mobility, but significantly different molecular crystallinity and aggregation properties, which results in optimal blend morphology with a polymer donor PBDB-T and better device physical processes in all-PSCs. As a result, PFY-2TS-based all-PSCs achieved a PCE of 12.31% with a small energy loss of 0.56 eV enabled by the reduced non-radiative energy loss (0.24 eV), which is better than that of 11.08% for the PFY-DTC-based ones. Our work clearly demonstrated that non-fully conjugated polymers as a new class of acceptor materials are very promising for the development of high-performance all-PSCs.
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| 15. |
- Fan, Qunping, 1989, et al.
(author)
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Over 14% efficiency all-polymer solar cells enabled by a low bandgap polymer acceptor with low energy loss and efficient charge separation
- 2020
-
In: Energy & Environmental Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1754-5692 .- 1754-5706. ; 13:12, s. 5017-5027
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Obtaining both high open-circuit voltage (V-oc) and short-circuit current density (J(sc)) has been a major challenge for efficient all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs). Herein, we developed a polymer acceptor PF5-Y5 with excellent optical absorption capability (onset extending to similar to 880 nm and maximum absorption coefficient exceeding 105 cm(-1) in a film), high electron mobility (3.18 x 10(3) cm(2) V-1 s(-1)) and high LUMO level (-3.84 eV) to address such a challenge. As a result, the PBDB-T:PF5-Y5-based all-PSCs achieved a high power conversion efficiency of up to 14.45% with both a high Voc (0.946 V) and a high Jsc (20.65 mA cm(-2)), due to the high and broad absorption coverage, small energy loss (0.57 eV) and efficient charge separation and transport in the device, which are among the best values in the all-PSC field. In addition, the all-PSC shows a similar to 15% improvement in PCE compared to its counterpart small molecule acceptor (Y5)-based device. Our results suggest that PF5-Y5 is a very promising polymer acceptor candidate for applications in efficient all-PSCs.
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| 16. |
- Farinhas, Joana, et al.
(author)
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Efficient ternary organic solar cells based on immiscible blends
- 2017
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In: Organic electronics. - : Elsevier. - 1566-1199 .- 1878-5530. ; 41, s. 130-136
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organic photovoltaic cells based on ternary blends of materials with complementary properties represent an approach to improve the photon-absorption and/or charge transport within the devices. However, the more complex nature of the ternary system, i.e. in diversity of materials' properties and morphological features, complicates the understanding of the processes behind such optimizations. Here, organic photovoltaic cells with wider absorption spectrum composed of two electron-donor polymers, F8T2, poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-bithiophene), and PTB7, poly([4,8-bis[(2'-ethylhexyl) oxy] benzo[1,2-b: 4,5-b'] dithiophene-2,6-diyl][3-fluoro-2-[(2'-ethylhexyl) carbonyl] thieno[3,4-b] thiophenediyl]), mixed with [6,6]-phenyl-C-61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) are investigated. We demonstrate an improvement of 25% in power conversion efficiency in comparison with the most efficient binary blend control devices. The active layers of these ternary cells exhibit gross phase separation, as determined by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Synchrotron-based Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy (STXM).
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| 17. |
- Gil-Escrig, Lidon, et al.
(author)
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Efficient Wide-Bandgap Mixed-Cation and Mixed-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells by Vacuum Deposition
- 2021
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In: ACS Energy Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2380-8195. ; 6:2, s. 827-836
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vacuum deposition methods are increasingly applied to the preparation of perovskite films and devices, in view of the possibility to prepare multilayer structures at low temperature. Vacuum-deposited, wide-bandgap solar cells based on mixed-cation and mixed-anion perovskites have been scarcely reported, due to the challenges associated with the multiple-source processing of perovskite thin films. In this work, we describe a four-source vacuum deposition process to prepare wide-bandgap perovskites of the type FA(1-n)Cs(n)Pb-(I1-xBrx)(3) with a tunable bandgap and controlled morphology, using FAI, CsI, PbI2, and PbBr2 as the precursors. The simultaneous sublimation of PbI2 and PbBr2 allows the relative Br/Cs content to be decoupled and controlled, resulting in homogeneous perovskite films with a bandgap in the 1.7-1.8 eV range and no detectable halide segregation. Solar cells based on 1.75 eV bandgap perovskites show efficiency up to 16.8% and promising stability, maintaining 90% of the initial efficiency after 2 weeks of operation.
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| 18. |
- Holmes, Natalie P., et al.
(author)
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Engineering Two-Phase and Three-Phase Microstructures from Water-Based Dispersions of Nanoparticles for Eco-Friendly Polymer Solar Cell Applications
- 2018
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In: Chemistry of Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0897-4756 .- 1520-5002. ; 30:18, s. 6521-6531
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nanoparticle organic photovoltaics, a subfield of organic photovoltaics (OPV), has attracted increasing interest in recent years due to the eco-friendly fabrication of solar modules afforded by colloidal ink technology. Importantly, using this approach it is now possible to engineer the microstructure of the light absorbing/charge generating layer of organic photovoltaics; decoupling film morphology from film deposition. In this study, single-component nanoparticles of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) were synthesized and used to generate a two-phase microstructure with control over domain size prior to film deposition. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and electron microscopy were used to characterize the thin film morphology. Uniquely, the measured microstructure was a direct input for a nanoscopic kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) model allowing us to assess exciton transport properties that are experimentally inaccessible in these single-component particles. Photoluminescence, UV-vis spectroscopy measurements, and KMC results of the nanoparticle thin films enabled the calculation of an experimental exciton dissociation efficiency (ηED) of 37% for the two-phase microstructure. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the materials was characterized with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and thermal annealing led to an increase in ηED to 64% due to an increase in donor-acceptor interfaces in the thin film from both sintering of neighboring opposite-type particles in addition to the generation of a third mixed phase from diffusion of PC61BM into amorphous P3HT domains. As such, this study demonstrates the higher level of control over donor-acceptor film morphology enabled by customizing nanoparticulate colloidal inks, where the optimal three-phase film morphology for an OPV photoactive layer can be designed and engineered.
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| 19. |
- Holmes, Natalie P., et al.
(author)
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Unravelling donor–acceptor film morphologyformation for environmentally-friendly OPV inkformulations
- 2019
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In: Green Chemistry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1463-9262 .- 1463-9270. ; 21:18, s. 5090-5103
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The challenge of coating organic photovoltaics (OPV) from green solvents is to achieve the requirednanostructured interpenetrating network of donor and acceptor domains based on a rational choice ofsolvent approach as opposed to the usual trial-and-error methods. We demonstrate here that we canachieve a bicontinuous interpenetrating network with nanoscale phase separation for the chosen donor–acceptor material system poly[2,3-bis-(3-octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline-5,8-diyl-alt-thiophene-2,5-diyl]:phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (TQ1:PC61BM) when processing from green solvent ink formulations.This structure is achieved by first calculating the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) of the donor andacceptor materials, followed by careful choice of solvents with selective relative solubilities for the twomaterials based on the desired order of precipitation necessary for forming a nanostructured interdigitatednetwork morphology. We found that the relative distances in Hansen space (Ra) between TQ1 andthe primary solvent, on the one hand, and PC61BM and the primary solvent, on the other hand, could becorrelated to the donor–acceptor morphology for the formulations based on the solvents d-limonene,anisole, and 2-methyl anisole, as well as the halogenated reference solvent o-dichlorobenzene. Thisnanostructured blend film morphology was characterised with scanning transmission X-ray microscopy(STXM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the film surface composition was analysed bynear edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Hansen solubility theory, based onsolution thermodynamics, has been used and we propose an HSP-based method that is a general platformfor the rational design of ink formulations for solution-based organic electronics, in particular facilitatingthe green solvent transition of organic photovoltaics. Our results show that the bulk heterojunctionmorphology for a donor–acceptor system processed from customised solvent mixtures can be predictedby the HSP-based method with good reliability.
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| 20. |
- Hultmark, Sandra, 1994, et al.
(author)
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Suppressing Co-Crystallization of Halogenated Non-Fullerene Acceptors for Thermally Stable Ternary Solar Cells
- 2020
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In: Advanced Functional Materials. - : Wiley. - 1616-3028 .- 1616-301X. ; 30:48
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While photovoltaic blends based on non-fullerene acceptors are touted for their thermal stability, this type of acceptor tends to crystallize, which can result in a gradual decrease in photovoltaic performance and affects the reproducibility of the devices. Two halogenated indacenodithienothiophene-based acceptors that readily co-crystallize upon mixing are studied, which indicates that the use of an acceptor mixture alone does not guarantee the formation of a disordered mixture. The addition of the donor polymer to the acceptor mixture readily suppresses the crystallization, which results in a fine-grained ternary blend with nanometer-sized domains that do not coarsen due to a high Tg ≈ 200 °C. As a result, annealing at temperatures of up to 170 °C does not markedly affect the photovoltaic performance of ternary devices, in contrast to binary devices that suffer from acceptor crystallization in the active layer. The results indicate that the ternary approach enables the use of high-temperature processing protocols, which are needed for upscaling and high-throughput fabrication of organic solar cells. Further, ternary devices display a stable photovoltaic performance at 130 °C for at least 205 h, which indicates that the use of acceptor mixtures allows to fabricate devices with excellent thermal stability.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Jalan, Ishita, 1991-, et al.
(author)
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Donor-acceptor polymer complex formation in solution confirmed by spectroscopy and atomic-scale modelling
- 2023
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry C. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7526 .- 2050-7534. ; 11:27, s. 9316-9326
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In all-polymer solar cells, high performance is attributed to the fine-grained morphology of the film in the active layer. However, the mechanism by which this fine-grained morphology is achieved remains unknown. Polymeric non-fullerene acceptors have the potential to restrict the self-aggregation, typical of non-fullerene small molecule acceptors. Here we employed a blend of the polymeric acceptor PF5-Y5 and the donor polymer PBDB-T to investigate the balance between molecular interactions in solution. Temperature-dependent absorption spectra show evidence of temperature-induced disaggregation of both donor and acceptor polymers, where the donor polymer disaggregation depends on the solvent polarity. Concentration-dependent fluorescence spectra of blend solutions display blue-shifted acceptor emission upon dilution, similar to that observed in acceptor solutions, and a decreased tendency for charge transfer from donor to acceptor upon dilution. Excitation spectra of dilute blend solutions contain an increased contribution to the long-wavelength acceptor emission, as compared to pure acceptor solutions, from a chromophore that absorbs in a region where the donor does not absorb. These observations can be explained by donor-acceptor complexation in dilute blend solutions, that is stabilized in more polar solvents. Moreover, the near IR-region of the absorption spectrum could be matched with the calculated electronic excitations of donor-acceptor complexes of PBDB-T and PF5-Y5 oligomers. The results corroborate that the interaction between segments of the donor and acceptor polymer chains favours the formation of donor-acceptor charge transfer complexes, stabilized by hybridization of the molecular orbitals, which reduces the electronic energy. The proposed donor-acceptor complex formation competes with the donor and acceptor self-aggregation and is influenced by the solvent environment. These pre-formed donor-acceptor complexes in low-concentration solutions can be expected to have important consequences on the film morphology of all-polymer blends. The results from this joint experimental-theoretical spectroscopy study provide insights that can guide the design of compatible donor and acceptor polymers for future high-performance organic solar cells.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Kumar, Kasi Vinoth, et al.
(author)
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Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Gadolinium Oxyhydride (GdHO) Thin Films : Optical, Photocatalytic, and Electronic Properties
- 2023
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In: Nanomaterials. - : MDPI. - 2079-4991. ; 13:24
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oxyhydrides of rare-earth metals (REMOHs) exhibit notable photochromic behaviors. Among these, yttrium oxyhydride (YHO) stands out for its impressive transparency and swift UV-responsive color change, positioning it as an optimal material for self-cleaning window applications. Although semiconductor photocatalysis holds potential solutions for critical environmental issues, optimizing the photocatalytic efficacy of photochromic substances has not been adequately addressed. This research advances the study of REMOHs, focusing on the properties of gadolinium oxyhydride (GdHO) both theoretically and experimentally. The electronic and structural characteristics of GdHO, vital for ceramic technology, are thoroughly examined. Explicitly determined work functions for GdH2, GdHO, and Gd2O3 stand at 3.4 eV, 3.0 eV, and 4.3 eV, respectively. Bader charge analysis showcases GdHO’s intricate bonding attributes, whereas its electron localization function majorly presents an ionic nature. The charge neutrality level is situated about 0.33 eV below the top valence band, highlighting these materials’ inclination for acceptor-dominant electrical conductivity. Remarkably, this research unveils GdHO films’ photocatalytic capabilities for the first time. Even with their restricted surface due to thinness, these films follow the Langmuir–Hinshelwood degradation kinetics, ensuring total degradation of methylene blue in a day. It was observed that GdHO’s work function diminishes with reduced deposition pressure, and UV exposure further decreases it by 0.2 eV—a change that reverts post-UV exposure. The persistent stability of GdHO films, hinting at feasible recyclability, enhances their potential efficiency, underlining their viability in practical applications. Overall, this study accentuates GdHO’s pivotal role in electronics and photocatalysis, representing a landmark advancement in the domain.
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| 26. |
- Lestelius, Magnus, 1968-, et al.
(author)
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Oxygen permeabilityand economic-environmental impact studies of some polyvinyl alcohol dispersionbarrier coatings for packaging applications
- 2017
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Purposes of employing barrier coatings in packaging, and in particular food packaging, can be to increase the shelf life, preserve colour, odour, and taste, and to protect from a harmful environment in general. Barrier coatings can thus help to reduce food waste along the value chain until end use. Including both materials choice for packaging and the possible fates of the used package, even further steps to provide greater knowledge for decisions on choices of packaging solutions. To that end, we have conducted several experimental and transport modeling studies on oxygen barrier coatings performance. The coating system of choice has been dispersion coatings of poly vinyl alcohol (PVOH), with additions of kaolin. Physical and chemical features of the coatings were characterized to obtain information on polymer crystallinity, free volume and filler orientation as these characteristics are influential to the oxygen mass transport performance. In turn, the oxygen mass transport was also measured, both in steady state and dynamically. In so doing, we obtained information useful for developing a general model to describe the oxygen permeability taking into account the physical and chemical features, described above, of the coating layer. Attempts on describing the interdependence and impact, for instance between crystalline and amorphous polymer regions and moisture, was added to the model. The model showed agreement to experimental data for PVOH-kaolin coating in this particular case. However, the basic permeability model has been applied to many different polymers.To further explore the potential of these types of coating, which are technically possible to produce in paperboard production, an economic-environmental impact comparison to other existing material solutions was made. Four barrier material alternatives – starch, polyethylene, ethyl vinyl alcohol (chosen as an alternative for PVOH, where data was difficult to obtain) and kaolin, and latex and kaolin, were analyzed with respect to cost and global warming potential. Weighting and comparing cost to environmental aspect, weighting factors based on interviews with experts in the packaging value chain, starch emerges as the most sustainable alternative. However, previous coating and mass transport studies also shows how these renewable materials require some further technical development to be competitive.The mass transport model can serve as a tool for customizing barrier coatings and to predict the barrier performance, as permeability is obtained and thus shelf-life estimation is possible. The overall concept, the combination of assessment of structural performance and the environmental studies, can be employed to find sustainable food packaging solutions.
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| 27. |
- Lindqvist, Camilla, et al.
(author)
-
Fullerene aggregation in thin films of polymer blends for solar cell applications
- 2018
-
In: Materials. - : MDPI. - 1996-1944 .- 1996-1944. ; 11:11
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the effects of the film morphology on the fluorescence spectra for a thin film including a quinoxaline-based co-polymer (TQ1) and a fullerene derivative ([6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester-PC70BM). The ratio between the polymer and the fullerene derivative, as well as the processing solvent, were varied. Besides the main emission peak at 700 nm in the fluorescence spectra of thin films of this phase-separated blend, a broad emission band is observed with a maximum at 520-550 nm. The intensity of this emission band decreases with an increasing degree of mixing in the film and becomes most prominent in thicker films, films with high PC70BM content, and films that were spin-coated from solvents with lower PC70BM solubility. We assign this emission band to aggregated PC70BM.
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| 28. |
- Liu, Yanfeng, et al.
(author)
-
In Situ Optical Spectroscopy Demonstrates the Effect of Solvent Additive in the Formation of All-Polymer Solar Cells
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1948-7185 .- 1948-7185. ; 13:50, s. 11696-11702
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 1-Chloronaphthalene (CN) has been a common solvent additive in both fullerene- A nd nonfullerene-based organic solar cells. In spite of this, its working mechanism is seldom investigated, in particular, during the drying process of bulk heterojunctions composed of a donor:acceptor mixture. In this work, the role of CN in all-polymer solar cells is investigated by in situ spectroscopies and ex situ characterization of blade-coated PBDB-T:PF5-Y5 blends. Our results suggest that the added CN promotes self-aggregation of polymer donor PBDB-T during the drying process of the blend film, resulting in enhanced crystallinity and hole mobility, which contribute to the increased fill factor and improved performance of PBDB-T:PF5-Y5 solar cells. Besides, the nonradiative energy loss of the corresponding device is also reduced by the addition of CN, corresponding to a slightly increased open-circuit voltage. Overall, our observations deepen our understanding of the drying dynamics, which may guide further development of all-polymer solar cells.
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| 29. |
- Liu, Yanfeng, et al.
(author)
-
In Situ Optical Studies on Morphology Formation in Organic Photovoltaic Blends
- 2021
-
In: Small Methods. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2366-9608. ; 5:10, s. 1-12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The efficiency of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) based organic solar cells is highly dependent on the morphology of the blend film, which is a result of a fine interplay between donor, acceptor, and solvent during the film drying. In this work, a versatile set-up of in situ spectroscopies is used to follow the morphology evolution during blade coating of three iconic BHJ systems, including polymer:fullerene, polymer:nonfullerene small molecule, and polymer:polymer. the drying and photoluminescence quenching dynamics are systematically study during the film formation of both pristine and BHJ films, which indicate that the component with higher molecular weight dominates the blend film formation and the final morphology. Furthermore, Time-resolved photoluminescence, which is employed for the first time as an in situ method for such drying studies, allows to quantitatively determine the extent of dynamic and static quenching, as well as the relative change of quantum yield during film formation. This work contributes to a fundamental understanding of microstructure formation during the processing of different blend films. The presented setup is considered to be an important tool for the future development of blend inks for solution-cast organic or hybrid electronics.
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| 30. |
- Muntean, Stela Andrea, et al.
(author)
-
Quantitative analysis of phase formation and growth in ternary mixtures upon evaporation of one component
- 2022
-
In: Physical review. E. - : American Physical Society. - 2470-0045 .- 2470-0053. ; 106:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We perform a quantitative analysis of Monte Carlo simulation results of phase separation in ternary blends upon evaporation of one component. Specifically, we calculate the average domain size and plot it as a function of simulation time to compute the exponent of the obtained power law. We compare and discuss results obtained by two different methods, for three different models: two-dimensional (2D) binary-state model (Ising model), 2D ternary-state model with and without evaporation. For the ternary-state models, we study additionally the dependence of the domain growth on concentration, temperature and initial composition. We reproduce the expected 1/3 exponent for the Ising model, while for the ternary-state model without evaporation and for the one with evaporation we obtain lower values of the exponent. It turns out that phase separation patterns that can form in this type of systems are complex. The obtained quantitative results give valuable insights towards devising computable theoretical estimations of size effects on morphologies as they occur in the context of organic solar cells.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Nyflött, Åsa, 1986-, et al.
(author)
-
The influence of moisture content on the polymer structure of polyvinyl alcohol in dispersion barrier coatings and its effect on the mass transport of oxygen
- 2017
-
In: JCT Research. - : Springer. - 1547-0091 .- 2168-8028. ; , s. 1345-1355
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents a study of the effect of moisture on the gas permeability of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) and PVOH–kaolin dispersion barrier coatings. The oxygen permeability was measured at different humidity levels, and the material properties were characterized under the same conditions: polymer crystallinity, kaolin concentration, and kaolin orientation were all evaluated. The experimental results revealed that the water plasticizes the PVOH material of the coatings, and the presence of kaolin filler is unable to affect such behavior significantly. The PVOH crystallinity was affected drastically by the humidity, as water melts polymer crystallites, which is a reversible process under removal of water. The permeability data were analyzed using a thermodynamicbased model able to account for the water effect on both the solubility of the gas and the diffusivity coefficients in the polymer and composite. The results showed good agreement between the model’s predictions and the experimental data in terms of the overall permeability of the material.
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| 33. |
- Paleti, Sri Harish Kumar, et al.
(author)
-
Hexanary blends : a strategy towards thermally stable organic photovoltaics
- 2023
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Non-fullerene based organic solar cells display a high initial power conversion efficiency but continue to suffer from poor thermal stability, especially in case of devices with thick active layers. Mixing of five structurally similar acceptors with similar electron affinities, and blending with a donor polymer is explored, yielding devices with a power conversion efficiency of up to 17.6%. The hexanary device performance is unaffected by thermal annealing of the bulk-heterojunction active layer for at least 23 days at 130 °C in the dark and an inert atmosphere. Moreover, hexanary blends offer a high degree of thermal stability for an active layer thickness of up to 390 nm, which is advantageous for high-throughput processing of organic solar cells. Here, a generic strategy based on multi-component acceptor mixtures is presented that permits to considerably improve the thermal stability of non-fullerene based devices and thus paves the way for large-area organic solar cells.
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| 34. |
- Prasad, Suraj, et al.
(author)
-
Photostability of Y-type electron acceptor molecules and related copolymer
- 2023
-
In: Proceedings Volume 12660, Organic, Hybrid, and Perovskite Photovoltaics XXIV. - : SPIE - The International Society for Optics and Photonics. ; 12660
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The lifetime of organic solar cells critically depends on the photochemical stability of the materials. To shed light on the photostability of novel Y-series electron acceptors, we investigate the evolution of optical properties and composition during one-sun illumination in ambient atmosphere of thin films of the small-molecule acceptor Y5 and its copolymers PF5-Y5 and PYT. We employ UV-vis, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), to assess changes in these properties as a function of illumination time. UV-Vis spectra show that PF5-Y5 undergoes rapid photobleaching, while the Y5 spectrum remains essentially unaffected even after 30 hours of exposure. The absorption spectrum of PYT, which contains a different co-mer than PF5-Y5, is only weakly affected. XPS C1s spectra of the PF5- Y5 film show a decreasing main peak and the development of a new component after 30 hours exposure, while the Y5 film surface composition remained intact. The photodegradation products of PF5-Y5 are characterized by the presence of new carbonyl groups, emerging as absorption bands in the FTIR spectra, while such spectral changes are absent for the Y5 film, indicating that Y5 is resistant to photooxidation, while PF5-Y5 undergoes photochemical reactions. The faster photodegradation of PF5-Y5 compared to Y5 and PYT raises the question about the role of the copolymer’s BDT moiety in the photooxidation. These new insights on the dependence of the photostability of acceptor molecules on their molecular structure are expected to contribute to the design of stable acceptor copolymers for organic solar cells with long operational lifetimes.
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| 35. |
- Setta, Mario, et al.
(author)
-
A mesoscopic lattice model for morphology formation in ternary mixtures with evaporation
- 2023
-
In: Communications in nonlinear science & numerical simulation. - : Elsevier. - 1007-5704 .- 1878-7274. ; 119
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We develop a mesoscopic lattice model to study the morphology formation in inter-acting ternary mixtures with the evaporation of one component. As concrete potentialapplication of our model, we wish to capture morphologies as they are typically arisingduring the fabrication of organic solar cells. In this context, we consider an evaporatingsolvent into which two other components are dissolved, as a model for a 2-componentcoating solution that is drying on a substrate. We propose a 3-spins dynamics to describethe evolution of the three interacting species. As main tool, we use a Monte CarloMetropolis-based algorithm, with the possibility of varying the system’s temperature,mixture composition, interaction strengths, and evaporation kinetics. The main novelty isthe structure of the mesoscopic model – a bi-dimensional lattice with periodic boundaryconditions, divided into square cells to encode a mesoscopic range interaction amongthe units. We investigate the effect of the model parameters on the structure of theresulting morphologies. Finally, we compare the results obtained with the mesoscopicmodel with corresponding ones based on an analogous lattice model with a short rangeinteraction among the units, i.e. when the mesoscopic length scale coincides with themicroscopic length scale of the lattice.
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| 36. |
- Shi, Juanzi, et al.
(author)
-
Photo-Oxidation Reveals H-Aggregates Hidden in Spin-Cast-Conjugated Polymer Films as Observed by Two-Dimensional Polarization Imaging
- 2019
-
In: Chemistry of Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0897-4756 .- 1520-5002. ; 31:21, s. 8927-8936
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spin-cast intermolecular interactions in conjugated polymer films lead to the formation of excited states delocalized over a few oriented and tightly packed conjugated segments. The optoelectronic properties of conjugated polymers are strongly dependent on the presence of such oriented domains at a nanoscale level. We observe oriented domains as large as several micrometers in size spontaneously formed in spin-cast PBDT-TPD films. Two-dimensional polarization imaging of fresh and photodegraded films showed a much higher visibility of the oriented domains in the degraded samples. We propose that the film is a mixture of two phases with different degrees of chain alignment. The photoluminescence of the more anisotropic phase is more stable against photodegradation in comparison with the less anisotropic phase. Photodegradation predominately quenches photoluminescence of the less anisotropic phase making the oriented domains more visible in the polarization contrasts. Spectral and energy transfer properties of the more oriented phase allowed us to assign it to weakly coupled H-aggregates with the suppressed 0-0 vibronic transition. Stable photoluminescence of H-aggregates in comparison with that of nonaggregated (less oriented) chains may help to understand degradation mechanisms of polymer devices and shows the role of energy transfer in this process. Selective degradation-induced quenching can reveal hidden inhomogeneity of conjugated polymer films.
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| 37. |
- Singh, Shivam, et al.
(author)
-
Impact of photoinduced phase segregation in mixed-halide perovskite absorbers on their material and device stability
- 2024
-
In: APL Energy. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 2770-9000. ; 2:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mixed-halide perovskites enable bandgap engineering for tandem solar cell and light-emitting diode applications. However, photoinduced halide phase segregation introduces a compositional instability, that is, formation of I-rich and Br-rich phases, which compromises photovoltaic efficiency and stability. While optical and structural studies of the photoinduced phase segregation in mixed-halide perovskites have been reported, its impact on the material stability is missing. Here, a detailed compositional analysis of mixed-halide perovskite films using x-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) was carried out to determine how their stability in various environments depends on the halide ratio. A series of perovskite thin films were fabricated with the composition CH3NH3Pb(IxBr1−x)3, where x = 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00, and analyzed under different conditions, such as exposure to light in ambient and in nitrogen atmosphere, as well as storage in the dark. From the spectroscopy results, complemented with structural and optical properties, it was found that the deletion of halide ions from the surface is facilitated in mixed-halide perovskites in comparison with pure halide perovskites. A higher stability was found for the mixed-halide perovskite containing less than 25% Br, and it decreases with increasing Br content. This study also established the effect of the Br/I ratio on the energy landscape of the materials. The UPS spectra reveal that photoinduced degradation results in a mismatch of the energy levels at the perovskite/transport layer interface, which may limit the collection of charge carriers. These findings correlate well with the photovoltaic device stability under similar degradation conditions.
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| 38. |
- Su, Wenyan, et al.
(author)
-
Nonconjugated Terpolymer Acceptors with Two Different Fused-Ring Electron-Deficient Building Blocks for Efficient All-Polymer Solar Cells
- 2021
-
In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 13:5, s. 6442-6449
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ternary polymerization strategy of incorporating different donor and acceptor units forming terpolymers as photovoltaic materials has been proven advantageous in improving power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a series of low band gap nonconjugated terpolymer acceptors based on two different fused-ring electron-deficient building blocks (IDIC16 and ITIC) with adjustable photoelectric properties were developed. As the third component, ITIC building blocks with a larger pi-conjugation structure, shorter solubilizing side chains, and red-shifted absorption spectrum were incorporated into an IDIC16-based nonconjugated copolymer acceptor PF1-TS4, which built up the terpolymers with two conjugated building blocks linked by flexible thioalkyl chain-thiophene segments. With the increasing ITIC content, terpolymers show gradually broadened absorption spectra and slightly down-shifted lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels. The active layer based on terpolymer PF1-TS4-60 with a 60% ITIC unit presents more balanced hole and electron mobilities, higher photoluminescence quenching efficiency, and improved morphology compared to those based on PF1-TS4. In all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), PF1-TS4-60, matched with a wide band gap polymer donor PM6, achieved a similar open-circuit voltage (V-oc) of 0.99 V, a dramatically increased short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 15.30 mA cm(-2), and fill factor (FF) of 61.4% compared to PF1-TS4 = 0.99 V, J(sc) = 11.21 mA cm(-2), and FF = 55.6%). As a result, the PF1-TS4-60-based all-PSCs achieved a PCE of 9.31%, which is similar to 50% higher than the PF1-TS4-based ones (6.17%). The results demonstrate a promising approach to develop high-performance nonconjugated terpolymer acceptors for efficient all-PSCs by means of ternary polymerization using two different A-D-A-structured fused-ring electron-deficient building blocks.
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| 39. |
- Susic, Isidora, et al.
(author)
-
Intrinsic Organic Semiconductors as Hole Transport Layers in p–i–n Perovskite Solar Cells
- 2022
-
In: Solar RRL. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2367-198X. ; 6:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Thin polymeric and small-molecular-weight organic semiconductors are widely employed as hole transport layers (HTLs) in perovskite solar cells. To ensure ohmic contact with the electrodes, the use of doping or additional high work function (WF) interlayer is common. In some cases, however, intrinsic organic semiconductors can be used without any additive or buffer layers, although their thickness must be tuned to ensure selective and ohmic hole transport. Herein, the characteristics of thin HTLs in vacuum-deposited perovskite solar cells are studied, and it is found that only very thin (<5 nm) HTLs readily result inhigh-performing devices, as the HTL acts as a WF enhancer while still ensuring selective hole transfer, as suggested by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and Kelvin probe measurements. For thicker films (>= 5 nm), a dynamic behavior for consecutive electrical measurements is observed, a phenomenon which is also common to other widely used HTLs. Finally, it is found that despite their glass transition temperature, small-molecule HTLs lead to thermally unstable solar cells, asopposed to polymeric materials. The origin of the degradation is still not clear, but might be related to chemical reactions/diffusion at the HTL/perovskite interface, in detriment of the device stability
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| 40. |
- Talyzin, Alexandr, 1969-, et al.
(author)
-
Brodie vs Hummers graphite oxides for preparation of multi-layered materials
- 2017
-
In: Carbon. - : Elsevier. - 0008-6223 .- 1873-3891. ; 115, s. 430-440
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Graphite oxides synthesized by one and two step Brodie oxidation (BGO) and Hummers (HGO) methods were analyzed by a variety of characterization methods in order to evaluate the reasons behind the difference in their properties. It is found that the Brodie method results in a higher relative amount of hydroxyl groups and a more homogeneous overall distribution of functional groups over the planar surface of the graphene oxide flakes. The higher number of carbonyl and carboxyl groups in HGO, detected by several methods, including XPS, NMR and FTIR, unavoidably results in defects of the graphene "skeleton", holes and overall disruption of the carbon-carbon bond network, stronger deviation from planar flake shape and poor ordering of the graphene oxide layers. It is also suggested that functional groups in HGO are less homogeneously distributed over the flake surface, forming some nanometer-sized graphene areas. The presence of differently oxidized areas on the GO surface results in inhomogeneous solvation and hydration of HGO and effects of inter- and intra-stratification. The proposed interpretation of the data explains the higher mechanical strength of multi-layered BGO membranes/papers, which are also less affected by humidity changes, thus providing an example of a membrane property superior to that of HGO. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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| 41. |
- Tutundzic, Merve, et al.
(author)
-
Toward Efficient and Fully Scalable Sputtered NiOx-Based Inverted Perovskite Solar Modules via Co-Ordinated Modification Strategies
- 2023
-
In: Solar RRL. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2367-198X.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sputtered nickel oxide (NiOx) has become one of the most promising inorganic hole transport layers for p–i–n perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to its appealing features such as its robust nature, low material cost, and easy integration to tandem structures and large-area applications. However, the main drawback with NiOx-based PSCs is typically low open-circuit voltage (VOC) due to the inferior energy-level alignment, low charge mobility, and high recombination at the interface. Herein, two types of phosphonic acid self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) deposited by blade coating as an interfacial layer to modulate the sputtered NiOx/perovskite interface properties are used. While sputtered NiOx serves as a conformally coated hole selective layer, the ultrathin SAM interlayer facilitates the hole extraction and minimizes the energy loss at the interface. Co-ordinately introduced stabilizing additive, namely octadecyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate (I-76), further improves the device performance of NiOx/SAM-based PSCs, resulting in VOC of 1.14 V and a power conversion efficiency of 21.8%. By applying these strategies for perovskite module upscaling, aperture area module efficiencies of 19.7%, 17.5%, and 15.5% for perovskite minimodules of 4, 16, and 100 cm2 are demonstrated, corresponding to active area module efficiencies of 20.4%, 18.0%, and 16.4%, respectively.
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| 42. |
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| 43. |
- van Stam, Jan, 1958-, et al.
(author)
-
Morphology in Dip-Coated Blend Films for Photovoltaics Studied by UV/VIS Absorption and Fluorescence Spectroscopy
- 2018
-
In: Organic Electronics and Photonics. - : SPIE-INT SOC OPTICAL ENGINEERING. - 9781510619012
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Blend thin films, prepared by dip-coating, of polyfluorene (F8 or PFO), acting as an electron donor, and [6,6]-phenyl-C-61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC60BM), acting as the electron acceptor, have been characterized by UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy, static and dynamic fluorescence, and atomic force microscopy. Four different solvents were used for the film preparation; the monohalogenated fluorobenzene and chlorobenzene and their dihalogenated counterparts o-difluorobenzene and o-dichlorobenzene, respectively. Fluid mechanics calculations were used to determine the withdrawal speed for each solvent, in order to prepare wet films of comparable thicknesses. The resulting dry films were also of similar thicknesses. It was found that the choice of solvent influences the ability for F8 to form its beta-phase.
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| 44. |
- Wang, Yuming, et al.
(author)
-
Light-induced degradation of fullerenes in organic solar cells : a case study on TQ1:PC71BM
- 2018
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 6:25, s. 11884-11889
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The stability of organic solar cells (OSCs) is critical for practical applications of this emerging technology. Unfortunately, in spite of intensive investigations, the degradation mechanisms in OSCs have not been clearly understood yet. In this report, we employ a range of spectroscopic and transport measurements, coupled with drift-diffusion modelling, to investigate the light-induced degradation mechanisms of fullerene-based OSCs. We find that trap states formed in the fullerene phase under illumination play a critical role in the degradation of the open-circuit voltage (V-OC) in OSCs. Our results indicate that the degradation is intrinsic to the fullerenes in OSCs and that alternative acceptor materials are desired for the development of stable OSCs.
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| 45. |
- Yao, Nannan, et al.
(author)
-
In Situ Study the Dynamics of Blade-Coated All-Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Formation and Impact on Photovoltaic Performance of Solar Cells
- 2023
-
In: Solar RRL. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2367-198X. ; , s. 1-8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- All-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) have achieved impressive progress by employing acceptors polymerized from well performing small-molecule non-fullerene acceptors. Herein, the device performance and morphology evolution in blade-coated all-PSCs based on PBDBT:PF5–Y5 blends prepared from two different solvents, chlorobenzene (CB), and ortho-xylene (o-XY) are studied. The absorption spectra in CB solution indicate more ordered conformation for PF5–Y5. The drying process of PBDBT:PF5–Y5 blends is monitored by in situ multifunctional spectroscopy and the final film morphology is characterized with ex situ techniques. Finer-mixed donor/acceptor nanostructures are obtained in CB-cast film than that in o-XY-cast ones, corresponding to more efficient charge generation in the solar cells. More importantly, the conformation of polymers in solution determines the overall film morphology and the device performance. The relatively more ordered structure in CB-cast films is beneficial for charge transport and reduced non-radiative energy loss. Therefore, to achieve high-performance all-PSCs with small energy loss, it is crucial to gain favorable aggregation in the initial stage in solution.
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| 46. |
- Zhang, Xin, et al.
(author)
-
An Integrated Bulk and Surface Modification Strategy for Gas-Quenched Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiencies Exceeding 22%
- 2022
-
In: Solar RRL. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2367-198X. ; 6:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) prepared by the antisolvent method have achieved power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of over 23%, but they are not ideal for device upscaling. In contrast, gas-quenched PSCs offer great potential for upscaling, but their performance still lags behind. Herein, the gas-quenched films through both surface and bulk modifications are upgraded. First, a novel surface modifier, benzylammonium thiocyanate, is found to allow remarkably improved surface properties, but the PCE gain is limited by the existence of longitudinally multiple grains. Thus, methylammonium chloride additive as a second modifier to realize monolithic grains is further utilized. Such an integrated strategy enables the average open-circuit voltage of the gas-quenched PSCs to increase from 1.08 to 1.15 V, leading to a champion PCE of 22.3%. Moreover, the unencapsulated device shows negligible degradation after 150 h of maximum power point operation under simulated 1 sun illumination in N2.
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| 47. |
- Zhang, Xin, et al.
(author)
-
Minimizing the Interface-Driven Losses in Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules
- 2023
-
In: ACS Energy Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2380-8195. ; , s. 2532-2542
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The inverted p-i-n perovskite solar cells hold high promise for scale-up toward commercialization. However, the interfaces between the perovskite and the charge transport layers contribute to major power conversion efficiency (PCE) loss and instability. Here, we use a single material of 2-thiopheneethylammonium chloride (TEACl) to molecularly engineer both the interface between the perovskite and fullerene-C60 electron transport layer and the buried interface between the perovskite and NiOx-based hole transport layer. The dual interface modification results in optimized band alignment, suppressed nonradiative recombination, and improved interfacial contact. A PCE of 24.3% is demonstrated, with open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) of 1.17 V and 84.6%, respectively. The unencapsulated device retains >97.0% of the initial performance after 1000 h of maximum power point tracking under illumination. Moreover, a PCE of 22.6% and a remarkable FF of 82.4% are obtained for a mini-module with an active area of 3.63 cm2.
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| 48. |
- Züfle, Simon, et al.
(author)
-
Initial photo-degradation of PCDTBT:PC 70 BM solar cells studied under various illumination conditions : Role of the hole transport layer
- 2019
-
In: Solar Energy. - : Elsevier. - 0038-092X .- 1471-1257. ; 183:1, s. 234-239
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ncapsulated organic solar cells often show a burn-in behaviour under illumination. This burn-in manifests itself as a rapid performance loss followed by a much slower progression of the degradation. Here we investigate the burn-in for PCDTBT:PC 70 BM solar cells under a wide range of illumination intensities. We find that increasing the sunlight concentration from 1 Sun to up to 100 Suns does not change the degradation behaviour, i.e. the dependence of all principal photovoltaic parameters on the dose of solar exposure (in Sun hours). This suggests that the degradation mechanisms under solar concentration (≤100 Suns) are the same as those observed under 1 Sun. This result makes it possible to use concentrated sunlight for accelerated stability assessment of these devices. We also find that devices with PEDOT:PSS as hole transport material show a rapid drop in open-circuit voltage of around 100 mV during the first Sun hour of light exposure. By replacing PEDOT:PSS with MoO 3 this initial process can be prevented and only the much slower part of the photo-degradation takes place.
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