Enhancing Fullerene‐Based Solar Cell Lifetimes by Addition of a Fullerene Dumbbell1. (26th September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schroeder, Bob C.; Li, Zhe; Brady, Michael A.; Faria, Gregório Couto; Ashraf, Raja Shahid; Takacs, Christopher J.; Cowart, John S.; Duong, Duc T.; Chiu, Kar Ho; Tan, Ching‐Hong; Cabral, João T.; Salleo, Alberto; Chabinyc, Michael L.; Durrant, James R.; McCulloch, Iain
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie. Volume 126:Number 47(2014)
• Page Start: 13084
• Page End: 13089
• Publication Date: 2014-09-26
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.201407310
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-8249

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Cost‐effective, solution‐processable organic photovoltaics (OPV) present an interesting alternative to inorganic silicon‐based solar cells. However, one of the major remaining challenges of OPV devices is their lack of long‐term operational stability, especially at elevated temperatures. The synthesis of a fullerene dumbbell and its use as an additive in the active layer of a PCDTBT:PCBM‐based OPV device is reported. The addition of only 20 % of this novel fullerene not only leads to improved device efficiencies, but more importantly also to a dramatic increase in morphological stability under simulated operating conditions. Dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (DSIMS) and TEM are used, amongst other techniques, to elucidate the origins of the improved morphological stability.</p> </abstract>