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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Printing Fabrication of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells and In Situ Morphology Characterization
Published on: January 29, 2017
Monitoring the 3D nanostructures of bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells using confocal lifetime imaging
Jen-Hsien Huang1, Fan-Ching Chien, Peilin Chen
1Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 115.
Abstract:
In this study, the exciton lifetime images within the photoactive layers of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) are revealed by confocal optical microscopy combined with the fluorescence module. The images reveal that the active layers during slow solvent evaporation provide 3D pathways for charge transport and the concentration gradient through the film which reflects the better cell performance. This technique offers a great help to investigate the 3D optical-physical property without destroying the blends.

