P3HT:PCBM, Best Seller in Polymer Photovoltaic Research (original) (raw)
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Advancement in P3HT PCBM solar cells, the most efficient Polymer Photovoltaic cell
Concern about global warming and diminishing fossil fuel reserves have accelerated searches for low cost sources of renewable energy. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells are one such source. They have couple of advantages over the conventional semiconductors. Organic solar cells have the potential to be low cost and efficient solar energy convertors, with a promising energy balance. The applications of thermoelectric polymers at low temperatures, especially conducting polymers, have shown various advantages such as easy and low cost of fabrication, light weight, and flexibility. However efficiency remains quite low. Thus efforts have been made to increase the efficiency by varying the fabrication parameters. Poly (3-hexythiophene) (P3HT) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl) propyl-1-phenyl [6, 6] C 61 (PCBM) are the most studied polymer blend materials around the world for bulk heterojunction structure of an organic solar cells (OSCs). This research article is a survey on tremendous literature published that exhibit solar cells based on blends of P3HT and PCBM. The basic structure of a P3HT: PCBM heterojunction solar cell and accurate methods for measurement of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) were also discussed. Standard method using Air Mass 1.5 Global (1000Wm -2 , AM1.5G) solar spectrum is advised after finding abnormalities in the PCE reported. It is noticed that optimum thickness and area of every layer in the cell structure is important. A detailed discussion on thermal annealing and solvent annealing approaches to improve device performance is presented. The effects of these two approaches on improving polymer crystallinity, light absorption in the polymer, carrier transport, and blend film nano-morphology, etc. are summarized. Polymer morphology has proven to be extremely important in determining the optoelectronic properties in polymer-based devices. We also investigate the effects of polymer morphology too on the PCE of the cell. Another important parameter affecting the efficiency discussed is the Molecular weight ratio of P3HT and PCBM blend active layer. Future directions and challenges on polymer solar cell development are also discussed Keywords— P3HT: PCBM organic blend layer, Polymer Photovoltaic, Organic solar cells, bulk heterojunctions.
P3ht:Pcbm Polymer Solar Cells from a Didactic Perspective
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2022
Here, we studied the influence of pre-and post-thermal annealing on the performance of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells using the conventional architecture, comprising a conjugated polymer, namely, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and a fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C60-butyric acid methyl ester (PC 60 BM) as a photoactive layer. The nonannealed active layer device exhibited a power conversion efficiency of <1%, which was significantly lower than the pre-and post-annealed devices. To investigate the impact of pre-and post thermal annealing on the natural morphological state of the polymer, regiorandom (P3HT-I) and regioregular (P3HT-II) type P3HT were compared in photoactive layers. In general, P3HT-I is amorphous, whereas P3HT-II is semi-crystalline. Changes in solar cell performance were associated with changes in carrier extraction efficiencies influenced by the annealing conditions. The charge photogeneration processes were investigated using spectroscopic techniques, including electroluminescence, steady-state, and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Finally, to explore the morphological changes upon annealing, atomic force microscopy and electroluminescence imaging measurements were performed on films and solar cells, respectively. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Electrical and environmental parameters of the performance of polymer solar cells based on P3HT:PCBM
International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive Systems (IJPEDS)
The electrical and environmental parameters of polymer solar cells (PSC) provide important information on their performance. In the present article we study the influence of temperature on the voltage-current (I-V) characteristic at different temperatures from 10 °C to 90 °C, and important parameters like bandgap energy Eg, and the energy conversion efficiency η. The one-diode electrical model, normally used for semiconductor cells, has been tested and validated for the polemeral junction. The PSC used in our study are formed by the poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Our technique is based on the combination of two steps; the first use the Least Mean Squares (LMS) method while the second use the Newton-Raphson algorithm. The found results are compared to other recently published works, they show that the developed approach is very accurate. This precision is proved by the minimal values of statistical errors (RMSE) and the good agree...
P3HT-Based Solar Cells: Structural Properties and Photovoltaic Performance
Each year we are bombarded with B.Sc. and Ph.D. applications from students that want to improve the world. They have learned that their future depends on changing the type of fuel we use and that solar energy is our future. The hope and energy of these young people will transform future energy technologies, but it will not happen quickly. Organic photovoltaic devices are easy to sketch, but the materials, processing steps, and ways of measuring the properties of the materials are very complicated. It is not trivial to make a systematic measurement that will change the way other research groups think or practice. In approaching this chapter, we thought about what a new researcher would need to know about organic photovoltaic devices and materials in order to have a good start in the subject. Then, we simplified that to focus on what a new researcher would need to know about poly-3-hexylthiophene:phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester blends (P3HT: PCBM) to make research progress with these materials. This chapter is by no means authoritative or a compendium of all things on P3HT:PCBM. We have selected to explain how the sample fabrication techniques lead to control of morphology and structural features and how these morphological features have specific optical and electronic consequences for organic photovoltaic device applications.
Advanced Materials, 2010
Sun is the largest carbon-neutral energy source that has not been fully utilized. Although there are solar cell devices based on inorganic semiconductor to efficiently harvest solar energy, the cost of these conventional devices is too high to be economically viable. This is the major motivation for the development of organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials and devices, which are envisioned to exhibit advantages such as low cost, flexibility, and abundant availability. The past success in organic light-emitting diodes provides scientists with confidence that organic photovoltaic devices will be a vital alternate to the inorganic counterpart.
P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics: Correlating efficiency and morphology
Nano letters, 2011
Controlling thin film morphology is key in optimizing the efficiency of polymer-based photovoltaic (PV) devices. We show that morphology and interfacial behavior of the multicomponent active layers confined between electrodes are strongly influenced by the preparation conditions. Here, we provide detailed descriptions of the morphologies and interfacial behavior in thin film mixtures of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), a typical active layer in a polymer-based PV device, in contact with an anode layer of PEDOT-PSS and either unconfined or confined by an Al cathode during thermal treatment. Small angle neutron scattering and electron microscopy show that a nanoscopic, bicontinuous morphology develops within seconds of annealing at 150°C and coarsens slightly with further annealing. P3HT and PCBM are shown to be highly miscible, to exhibit a rapid, unusual interdiffusion, and to display a preferential segregation of one component to the electrode interfaces. The ultimate morphology is related to device efficiency.
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2006
The performance of organic solar cells based on the blend of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is strongly influenced by blend composition and thermal annealing conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) diffraction measurements show that in the considered blends, ordering of P3HT plays a key role in understanding the PV-performance. It is demonstrated that the natural tendency of regioregular P3HT to crystallize is disturbed by the addition of PCBM. Annealing however improves the crystallinity, explaining the observed spectral broadening and is also resulting in a higher mobility of the holes in P3HT. r
A model for the J-V characteristics of P3HT:PCBM solar cells
Journal of Applied Physics, 2009
Current-voltage ͑J-V͒ characteristics of an organic bulk heterojunction solar cell have been modeled and compared with the measured characteristics of solar cell based on the blend of poly͑3-hexylethiophene͒ ͑P3HT͒ and phenyl ͓6,6͔ C 61 butyric acid methyl ester ͑PCBM͒. In an undoped organic double Schottky junction diode, for V Ͻ V bi the electric field remains constant and is given by ͑V bi − V͒ / d, where V bi is the built-in voltage, V is the applied voltage, and d is sample thickness. We considered the effect of this constant electric field on the charge carrier transport and solved the drift and diffusion equations to model the J-V characteristics. For V Ͻ V bi the current is found to be dominated by diffusion. A comparison of the theoretical results with the experimental data measured in dark and under different illumination intensities shows good agreement.
Effect of polydispersity on the bulk-heterojunction morphology of P3HT:PCBM solar cells
Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics
Bulk heterojunctions (BHJ) based on semiconducting electron-donor polymer and electronacceptor fullerene have been extensively investigated as potential photoactive layers for organic solar cells (OSCs). In the experimental studies, poly-(3-hexyl-thiophene) (P3HT) polymers are hardly monodisperse as the synthesis of highly monodisperse polymer mixture is a near impossible task to achieve. However, the majority of the computational efforts on poly-(3-hexylthiophene): phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) based OSCs, a monodisperse P3HT is usually considered. Here, results from coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) simulations of solvent evaporation and thermal annealing process of the BHJ are shared describing the effect of variability in molecular weight (a.k.a. polydispersity) on the morphology of the active layer. Results affirm that polydispersity is beneficial for charge separation as the interfacial area is observed to increase with higher dispersity. Calculations of percolation and orientation tensors, on the other hand, reveal that a certain polydispersity index (PDI) ranging between 1.05-1.10 should be maintained for optimal charge transport. Most importantly, these results point out that the consideration of polydispersity should be considered in computational studies of polymer based organic solar cells.