Low bandgap polymers synthesized by FeCl(3) oxidative polymerization

• Four low bandgap polymers, combining an alkyl thiophene donor with benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole, 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline, 2,3-diphenylthieno[3,4-b]pyrazine and 6,7-diphenyl-[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g] quinoxaline acceptors in a donor-acceptor-donor architecture, were synthesized via FeCl3 oxidative polymerization. The molecular weights of the polymers were improved by introducing o-dichlor-obenzene (ODCB) as the reaction solvent instead of the commonly used solvent, chloroform. The photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties of the resulting polymers were investigated and compared. The optical bandgaps of the polymers vary between 1.0 and 1.9 eV, which is promising for solar cells. The devices spin-coated from an ODCB solution of P1DB:[70]PCBM showed a power conversion efficiency of 1.08% with an open-circuit voltage of 0.91 V and a short-circuit current density of 3.36 mA cm(-2) under irradiation from an AM1.5G solar simulator (100 mW cm(-2)). (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

heterojunction photovoltaic cells

FeCl3 oxidative

Polymer solar cells

conjugated

thiophene

5]thiadiazole

units

polymerization

Benzo[c][1

2

gap polymer

polymers

benzothiadiazole

Bulk heterojunction

efficiency

performance

solar-cells

thienopyrazine

Low bandgap polymers

TECHNOLOGY

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)