Device Performance of APFO-3/PCBM Solar Cells with Controlled Morphology

Polymer/fullerene solar cells with three different device structures: A) diffuse bilayer, B) spontaneously formed multilayer, and C) vertically homogenous thin films, are fabricated. The photocurrent/voltage performance is compared and it is found that the self-stratified structure (B) yields the highest energy conversion efficiency.

On the origin of the open-circuit voltage of polymer-fullerene solar cells

The increasing amount of research on solution-processable, organic donor-acceptor bulk heterojunction photovoltaic systems, based on blends of conjugated polymers and fullerenes has resulted in devices with an overall power-conversion efficiency of 6%. For the best devices, absorbed photon-to-electron quantum efficiencies approaching 100% have been shown. Besides the produced current, the overall efficiency depends critically on the generated photovoltage. Therefore, understanding and optimization of the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of organic solar cells is of high importance. Here, we demonstrate that charge-transfer absorption and emission are shown to be related to each other and Voc in accordance with the assumptions of the detailed balance and quasi-equilibrium theory. We underline the importance of the weak ground-state interaction between the polymer and the fullerene and we confirm that Voc is determined by the formation of these states. Our work further suggests alternative pathways to improve Voc of donor-acceptor devices.

Structure-property relationships of small bandgap conjugated polymers for solar cells

Conjugated polymers as electron donors in solar cells based on donor/acceptor combinations are of great interest, partly due to the possibility of converting solar light with a low materials budget. Six small bandgap polymers with optical bandgap ranging from 1.0-1.9 eV are presented in this paper. All polymers utilize an electron donor-acceptor-donor (DAD) segment in the polymer backbone, creating a partial charge-transfer, to decrease the bandgap. The design, synthesis and the optical characteristics as well as the solar cell characteristics of the polymers are discussed. The positions of the energy levels of the conjugated polymer relative to the electron acceptor are of significant importance and determine not only the driving force for exciton dissociation but also the maximum open-circuit voltage. This work also focuses on investigating the redox behavior of the described conjugated polymers and electron acceptors using square wave voltammetry. Comparing the electrochemical data gives important information of the structure-property relationships of the polymers.

Imaging of the 3D nanostructure of a polymer solar cell by electron tomography

Electron tomography has been used for analyzing the active layer in a polymer solar cell, a bulk heterojunction of an alternating copolymer of fluorene and a derivative of fullerene. The method supplies a three-dimensional representation of the morphology of the film, where domains with different scattering properties may be distinguished. The reconstruction shows good contrast between the two phases included in the film and demonstrates that electron tomography is an adequate tool for investigations of the three-dimensional nanostructure of the amorphous materials used in polymer solar cells.

Oligothiophene assemblies defined by DNA interaction: from single chains to disordered clusters

The organization of conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) interacting with biomolecules sets conditions for the biodetection of biological processes and identity, through the use of optical emission from the CPE. Herein, a well-defined CPE and its binding to DNA is studied. By using dynamic light scattering and circular dichroism spectroscopy, it is shown that the CPE forms a multimolecule ensemble in aqueous solution that is more than doubled in size when interacting with a small DNA chain, while single chains are evident in ethanol. The related changes in the fluorescence spectra upon polymer aggregation are assigned to oscillator strength redistribution between vibronic transitions in weakly coupled H-aggregates. An enhanced single-molecule spectroscopy technique that allows full control of excitation and emission light polarization is applied to combed and decorated lambdaDNA chains. It is found that the organization of combed CPE-lambdaDNA complexes (when dry on the surface) allows considerable variation of CPE distances and direction relative to the DNA chain. By analysis of the polarization data energy transfer between the polymer chains in individual complexes is confirmed and their sizes estimated.

Trapping light with micro lenses in thin film organic photovoltaic cells

We demonstrate a novel light trapping configuration based on an array of micro lenses in conjunction with a self aligned array of micro apertures located in a highly reflecting mirror. When locating the light trapping element, that displays strong directional asymmetric transmission, in front of thin film organic photovoltaic cells, an increase in cell absorption is obtained. By recycling reflected photons that otherwise would be lost, thinner films with more beneficial electrical properties can effectively be deployed. The light trapping element enhances the absorption rate of the solar cell and increases the photocurrent by as much as 25%.

Enhanced current efficiency from bio-organic light-emitting diodes using decorated amyloid fibrils with conjugated polymer

We demonstrate the use of self-assembled bionanostructures in polymer light-emitting diodes. Amyloid fibrils formed by protein misfolding were decorated with a soluble luminescent conjugated polymer. This conjugated polymer complex with amyloid fibrils was used as the active layer in a light emitting diode, resulting in a 10-fold increase in external quantum efficiency compared with pristine polymer, because of improved carrier injection.

Dynamic control of surface energy and topography of microstructured conducting polymer films

Microstructured polymer surfaces, including conducting and insulating polymers, have been prepared to achieve electrochemical control of the surface energy and topography. The reported surface switches include pillar- and mesh-like surface patterns of polypyrrole (PPy), poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene) (PEDOT), and photoresists. The structures have been evaluated by contact angle measurements and optical and scanning electron microscopy to determine the surfaces characteristics. These microstructured polymer surface switches can be electrochemically modified from dewetting to wetting conditions, with a maximum associated change of the water contact angle from 129 degrees to 44 degrees . This contact angle switching was observed for samples in which dynamic control of the surface topography and surface tension was coupled. Control of topography was achieved with a dynamic height-switching range of more than 3 mum. In addition, dynamic control of anisotropic wetting is reported. Our experiments were carried out under conditions that are suitable for a biointerface, implying potential application in biotechnology and cell science. In particular, switching of the energy, chemistry, and topography of the surface, along with their associated orientation, are interesting features for dynamic (electronic) control of the seeding and proliferation for living cells. The technology reported promises for electronically controlled cell-growth within Petri dishes, well plates, and other cell-hosting tools.

Electrochemical devices made from conducting nanowire networks self-assembled from amyloid fibrils and alkoxysulfonate PEDOT

Proteins offer an almost infinite number of functions and geometries for building nanostructures. Here we have focused on amyloid fibrillar proteins as a nanowire template and shown that these fibrils can be coated with the highly conducting polymer alkoxysulfonate PEDOT through molecular self-assembly in water. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy show that the coated fibers have a diameter around 15 nm and a length/thickness aspect ratio >1:1000 . We have further shown that networks of the conducting nanowires are electrically and electrochemically active by constructing fully functional electrochemical transistors with nanowire networks, operating at low voltages between 0 and 0.5 V.

Studies of luminescent conjugated polythiophene derivatives: enhanced spectral discrimination of protein conformational states

Improved probes for amyloid fibril formation are advantageous for the early detection and better understanding of this disease-associated process. Here, we report a comparative study of eight luminescent conjugated polythiophene derivates (LCPs) and their discrimination of a protein (insulin) in the native or amyloid-like fibrillar state. For two of the LCPs, the synthesis is reported. Compared to their monomer-based analogues, trimer-based LCPs showed significantly better optical signal specificity for amyloid-like fibrils, seen from increased quantum yield and spectral shift. The trimer-based LCPs alone were highly quenched and showed little interaction with native insulin, as seen from analytical ultracentrifugation and insignificant spectral differences from the trimer-based LCP in buffered and native protein solution. Hence, the trimer-based LCPs showed enhanced discrimination between the amyloid-like fibrillar state and the corresponding native protein.