Selenium-substituted polymers for improved photovoltaic performance

Four isostructural donor-acceptor alternating polymers of benzodithiophene (BDT)/naphthodifuran (NDF) and benzoselenadiazole (BSe)/benzothiadiazole (BT) have been developed and evaluated for organic photovoltaics. The substitution of one-atom (Se for S) in the accepting units exerts remarkable impac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP 2016-03, Vol.18 (11), p.7978-7986
Main Authors: Yu, Jiangsheng, Ding, Guanqun, Hai, Jiefeng, Zhu, Enwei, Yin, Xinxing, Xu, Zhongsheng, Zhou, Baojing, Zhang, Fujun, Ma, Wanli, Tang, Weihua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Copolymers
Energy levels
Esters
Mathematical analysis
Optoelectronics
Performance enhancement
Photovoltaic cells
Solar cells
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Summary:Four isostructural donor-acceptor alternating polymers of benzodithiophene (BDT)/naphthodifuran (NDF) and benzoselenadiazole (BSe)/benzothiadiazole (BT) have been developed and evaluated for organic photovoltaics. The substitution of one-atom (Se for S) in the accepting units exerts remarkable impact on the optoelectronic properties of polymers. Extended absorption, narrowed bandgap and higher HOMO energy levels were observed for Se-containing polymers in comparison to their S-containing counterparts. Theoretical calculations confirmed the measurable effect on energy levels as found in experimental studies. Bulk-heterojuction solar cells based on the BDT-BSe copolymer and [6,6]-phenyl-C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester (1 : 2, w/w) blend films deliver the best PCE of 5.40%. BSe-based polymers showed enhanced photovoltaic performances than BT-based polymers. The device performance is found to be strongly dependent on the processing conditions and morphology of the active layers. The power conversion efficiency of polymer solar cells was enhanced by selenium substitution in the sulfur position of a benzothiadiazole unit.
ISSN:1463-9076
1463-9084
DOI:10.1039/c5cp07942j