Nanoparticle agglomeration in polymer-based solar cells

We show that the morphology of polymer-based solar cells substantially changes after annealing using small angle neutron scattering. Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is found reasonably well dispersed within the poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) rich phase after initial processing (spin coati...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2010-10, Vol.105 (16), p.168701-168701, Article 168701
Main Authors: Kiel, Jonathon W, Eberle, Aaron P R, Mackay, Michael E
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We show that the morphology of polymer-based solar cells substantially changes after annealing using small angle neutron scattering. Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is found reasonably well dispersed within the poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) rich phase after initial processing (spin coating). However, the PCBM structure coarsens after annealing, clearly evidenced by the increase in scattering intensity at a small wave vector. The change in morphology at the nanoscale is related to improved device performance and the simultaneous, contradictory, increase in photoluminescence.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.168701