All-polymer solar cells with in-situ generated n-type conjugated polymer nanoparticles

We report all-polymer solar cells with new electron-accepting (n-type) polymer nanoparticles, poly(2,7-bis(4-hexylthiophen-2-yl)-9H-fluoren-9-one-co-benzothiadiazole) (BHTF-co-BT), which were in-situ generated during polymerization reaction. The size of the BHTF-co-BT nanoparticles was ca. 5-15 nm with a particular single X-ray diffraction peak (d-spacing=1.3 nm), indicative of a highly ordered crystalline state, while their glass transition temperature was similar to 140 degrees C. Their band gap energy and ionization potential were 1.8 eV and 5.7 eV, respectively. The possibility of the BHTF-co-BT nanoparticles as an electron acceptor for both normal-type and inverted-type all-polymer (polymer:polymer) solar cells was examined by employing poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as an electron donor. The normal-type P3HT:BHTF-co-BT solar cells exhibited promising open circuit voltage (V-oc=0.67-0.73 V) and fill factor (FF=51.3%), while a three-fold improved short circuit current density and higher V-oc (0.77 V) were achieved for their inverted-type solar cells. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.