Evolution of polymer photovoltaic performances from subtle chemical structure variations

Conjugated polymers are promising replacements for their inorganic counterparts in photovoltaics due to their low cost, ease of processing, and straightforward thin film formation. New materials have been able to improve the power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells up to 8%. However, rules for rational material design are still lacking, and subtle chemical structure variations usually result in large performance discrepancies. The present paper reports a detailed study on the crystalline structure, morphology, and in situ optoelectronic properties of blend films of polythiophene derivatives and [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester by changing the alkyl side chain length and position of polythiophene. The correlation among the molecular structure, mesoscopic morphology, mesoscopic optoelectronic property and macroscopic device performance (highest efficiency above 4%) was directly established. Both solubility and intermolecular interactions should be considered in rational molecular design. Knowledge obtained from this study can aid the selection of appropriate processing conditions that improve blend film morphology, charge transport property, and overall solar cell efficiency.