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Ternary blend all-polymer solar cells: enhanced performance and evidence of parallel-like bulk heterojunction mechanism

Part of: Polymers and Soft Matter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2015

Ye-Jin Hwang ,
Brett A. E. Courtright  and
Samson A. Jenekhe
Ye-Jin Hwang
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1750, USA
Brett A. E. Courtright
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1750, USA
Samson A. Jenekhe*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1750, USA
*
Address all correspondence to Samson A. Jenekhe at jenekhe@u.washington.edu
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Abstract

All-polymer solar cells composed of binary blends of donor poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexanoyl)-thieno[3,4-b]thiophene-)-2–6-diyl)] (PBDTTT-CT ), and acceptor polymers naphthalene diimide-selenophene copolymer (PNDIS-HD) and perylene diimide-selenophene copolymer (PPDIS) had power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 1.3 and 2.1%, respectively. Ternary blend solar cells composed of [PBDTTT-CT][PNDIS-HD]1−x[PPDIS]x at 75 wt% PPDIS had a PCE of 3.2%, which is about a 50%–140% enhancement compared with the binary blend devices. Equality of the ternary blend short-circuit current to the sum of those of the binary blend devices, among other results, provided evidence of a parallel-like bulk heterojunction mechanism in the ternary blend solar cells. These results provide the first example of enhanced performance in ternary blend all-polymer solar cells.

Type
Polymers/Soft Matter Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , June 2015 , pp. 229 - 234
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

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