Effect of Solvents on the Electrical and Morphological Characteristics of Polymer Solar Cells

The nanoscale morphology of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [⁶,6]-phenyl-C_71. butyric acid methylester (PCBM) blend film is affected by various parameters such as the solvent, coating, and thermal annealing conditions. We investigated the effect of solvents on the performance of inverted solar cells based on the active layer of a P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction. P3HT and PCBM (weight ratio 1:0.8) were dissolved in chlorobenzene (CB) and dichlorobenzene (DCB). The difference in the volatility characteristics of the solvents resulted in different P3HT crystallite morphologies. The difference in the P3HT:PCBM film morphology was systemically investigated via atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet (UV)-visible absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electrical impedance spectroscopy. The DCB solvent lead to better P3HT crystallinity and device performance. For example, the short-circuit current density (J_SC) and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the device using DCB (9.89 mA/cm² and 3.62%, respectively) were larger than those (9.12 mA/cm² and 3.01%) of the device using CB.