title: Imaging the bulk nanoscale morphology of organic solar cell blends using helium ion microscopy.
abstract: We use helium ion microscopy (HeIM) to image the nanostructure of poly(3-hexylthiophene)/[6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PCBM) blend thin-films. Specifically, we study a blend thin-film subject to a thermal anneal at 140 °C and use a plasma-etching technique to gain access to the bulk of the blend thin-films. We observe a domain structure within the bulk of the film that is not apparent at the film-surface and tentatively identify a network of slightly elongated PCBM domains having a spatial periodicity of (20 ± 4) nm a length of (12 ± 8) nm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield , Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, S3 7RH, UK. a.j.pearson@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Boden
authors.forename: Darren M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Bagnall
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Lidzey
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodenburg