title: Toward Efficient Thick Active PTB7 Photovoltaic Layers Using Diphenyl Ether as a Solvent Additive.
abstract: The development of thick organic photovoltaics (OPV) could increase absorption in the active layer and ease manufacturing constraints in large-scale solar panel production. However, the efficiencies of most low-bandgap OPVs decrease substantially when the active layers exceed ∼100 nm in thickness (because of low crystallinity and a short exciton diffusion length). Herein, we report the use of solvent additive diphenyl ether (DPE) that facilitates the fabrication of thick (180 nm) active layers and triples the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of conventional thienothiophene-co-benzodithiophene polymer (PTB7)-based OPVs from 1.75 to 6.19%. These results demonstrate a PCE 20% higher than those of conventional (PTB7)-based OPV devices using 1,8-diiodooctane. Morphology studies reveal that DPE promotes the formation of nanofibrillar networks and ordered packing of PTB7 in the active layer that facilitate charge transport over longer distances. We further demonstrate that DPE improves the fill factor and photocurrent collection by enhancing the overall optical absorption, reducing the series resistance, and suppressing bimolecular recombination.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) , Chengdu 610054, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yifan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States.
authors.forename: Tenghooi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) , Chengdu 610054, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Pu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) , Chengdu 610054, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) , Chengdu 610054, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Junsheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States.
authors.forename: André D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Taylor
keywords: diphenyl ether (DPE); low-bandgap polymer; organic photovoltaic (OPV); solvent additive; thick active layer