Three-Dimensional Morphology Control Yielding Enhanced Hole Mobility in Air-Processed Organic Photovoltaics: Demonstration with Grazing-Incidence Wide-Angle X‑ray Scattering

Polymer organic photovoltaic (OPV) device performance is defined by the three-dimensional morphology of the phase-separated domains in the active layer. Here, we determine the evolution of morphology through different stages of tailored solvent vapor and thermal annealing techniques in air-processed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS applied materials & interfaces 2017-07, Vol.9 (27), p.22764-22772
Main Authors: Moore, Levi M. J, Bhattacharya, Mithun, Wu, Qi, Youm, Sang Gil, Nesterov, Evgueni E, Morgan, Sarah E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AFM
GIWAXS
Kelvin probe force microscopy
MATERIALS SCIENCE
morphology
organic photovoltaics
solvent vapor annealing
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Summary:Polymer organic photovoltaic (OPV) device performance is defined by the three-dimensional morphology of the phase-separated domains in the active layer. Here, we determine the evolution of morphology through different stages of tailored solvent vapor and thermal annealing techniques in air-processed poly­(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)/phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester-based OPV blends. A comparative evaluation of the effect of solvent type used for vapor annealing was performed using grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, and UV–vis spectroscopy to probe the active-layer morphology. A nonhalogenated orthogonal solvent was found to impart controlled morphological features within the exciton diffusion length scales, enhanced absorbance, greater crystallinity, increased paracrystalline disorder, and improved charge-carrier mobility. Low-boiling, fast-diffusing isopropanol allowed the greatest control over the nanoscale structure of the solvents evaluated and yielded a cocontinuous morphology with narrowed domains and enhanced paths for the charge carrier to reach the anode.
ISSN:1944-8244
1944-8252
DOI:10.1021/acsami.7b04218