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A fullerene-based organic exciton blocking layer with high electron conductivity
Andrew N Bartynski1, Cong Trinh, Anurag Panda
1Department of Chemical Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.
Nano Letters
|June 12, 2013
Summary
Solid solutions of C60 and bathocuprione (BCP) show concentration-dependent absorption. Using these blends in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) improves power conversion efficiency by 10% compared to conventional buffers.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photovoltaics
- Organic Electronics
Background:
- Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) rely on efficient charge transfer processes.
- Understanding the role of specific materials like C60 and bathocuprione (BCP) is crucial for optimizing OPV performance.
- Charge transfer (CT) states significantly influence photocurrent generation in OPVs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the concentration dependence of C60 absorption in C60:BCP solid solutions.
- To analyze the impact of these blends on the charge transfer (CT) state absorption.
- To evaluate the performance of C60:BCP blends as exciton blocking electron transporting layers in bilayer OPVs.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of solid solutions of C60 and bathocuprione (BCP) at varying concentrations.
- Spectroscopic analysis to determine the concentration dependence of C60 absorption and CT state absorption.
- Fabrication and characterization of bilayer organic photovoltaics (OPVs) utilizing C60:BCP blends as electron transporting layers.
Main Results:
- A nonlinear decrease in C60 charge transfer (CT) state absorption was observed with increasing BCP concentration.
- 1:1 C60:BCP blends resulted in a 40% reduction in photocurrent contribution from the CT state.
- Utilizing C60:BCP blends as exciton blocking electron transporting layers led to a 10% increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to conventional buffers, reaching 5.3%.
Conclusions:
- The concentration of C60 significantly affects CT state absorption in C60:BCP blends.
- While CT state photocurrent contribution is reduced, C60:BCP blends enhance overall OPV performance when used as electron transporting layers.
- These findings highlight the potential of tailored C60:BCP blends for improving the efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices.
