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HL: Fachverband Halbleiterphysik
HL 78: Joint Session: Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics IV
HL 78.2: Talk
Thursday, March 17, 2011, 16:30–16:45, GER 38
New Imaging Approach for Organic Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells Using Selective Dissolution — •Bettina Friedel, Bruno Ehrler, and Neil C. Greenham — University of Cambridge, Cavendish Laboratory, JJ Thomson Avenue, CB30HE Cambridge, United Kingdom
Morphology in organic photovoltaic devices is one of the most vital and most studied issues for optimum functionality, especially concerning bulk heterojunctions. However, it is always a challenge to control its microscopic structure towards improved exciton dissociation and charge transport. To get an insight into this microstructure usually a combination of various imaging techniques together with spectroscopic methods is used. Unfortunately imaging on all-organic structures is rather challenging since the high similarity of the carbon-based materials gives low contrasts and makes them hard to distinguish. We will present a new imaging approach for organic blends, based on a temperature controlled selective dissolution technique. We will demonstrate on two systems (polymer-polymer and polymer-PCBM) that this technique allows to selectively remove one of the components from a bulk heterojunction, leaving a scaffold of the other component, which can be easily characterized by high resolution imaging, due to the higher air-material contrast. Further the technique allows us to quantify the disordered fraction of semicrystalline components in a blend structure, which is valuable information for matters of charge transport. These new structural insights help understanding the changes in PV performance e.g. following thermal treatments or using solvent additives.