TY  - JOUR
A1  - Turner, Sarah T.
A1  - Pingel, Patrick
A1  - Steyrleuthner, Robert
A1  - Crossland, Edward J. W.
A1  - Ludwigs, Sabine
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Quantitative analysis of bulk heterojunction films using linear absorption spectroscopy and solar cell performance
JF  - Advanced functional materials
N2  - A fundamental understanding of the relationship between the bulk morphology and device performance is required for the further development of bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. Here, non-optimized (chloroform cast) and nearly optimized (solvent-annealed o-dichlorobenzene cast) P3HT:PCBM blend films treated over a range of annealing temperatures are studied via optical and photovoltaic device measurements. Parameters related to the P3HT aggregate morphology in the blend are obtained through a recently established analytical model developed by F. C. Spano for the absorption of weakly interacting H-aggregates. Thermally induced changes are related to the glass transition range of the blend. In the chloroform prepared devices, the improvement in device efficiency upon annealing within the glass transition range can be attributed to the growth of P3HT aggregates, an overall increase in the percentage of chain crystallinity, and a concurrent increase in the hole mobilities. Films treated above the glass transition range show an increase in efficiency and fill factor not only associated with the change in chain crystallinity, but also with a decrease in the energetic disorder. On the other hand, the properties of the P3HT phase in the solvent-annealed o-dichlorobenzene cast blends are almost indistinguishable from those of the corresponding pristine P3HT layer and are only weakly affected by thermal annealing. Apparently, slow drying of the blend allows the P3HT chains to crystallize into large domains with low degrees of intra- and interchain disorder. This morphology appears to be most favorable for the efficient generation and extraction of charges.
KW  - Organic electronics
KW  - morphology
KW  - solar cells
KW  - mobility
KW  - absorption spectroscopy
Y1  - 2011
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201101583
SN  - 1616-301X
VL  - 21
IS  - 24
SP  - 4640
EP  - 4652
PB  - Wiley-VCH
CY  - Weinheim
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kuehn, Sergei
A1  - Pingel, Patrick
A1  - Breusing, Markus
A1  - Fischer, Thomas
A1  - Stumpe, Joachim
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Elsaesser, Thomas
T1  - High-Resolution Near-Field Optical Investigation of Crystalline Domains in Oligomeric PQT-12 Thin Films
JF  - Advanced functional materials
N2  - The structure and morphology on different length scales dictate both the electrical and optical properties of organic semiconductor thin films. Using a combination of spectroscopic methods, including scanning near-field optical microscopy, we study the domain structure and packing quality of highly crystalline thin films of oligomeric PQT-12 with 100 nanometer spatial resolution. The pronounced optical anisotropy of these layers measured by polarized light microscopy facilitates the identification of regions with uniform molecular orientation. We find that a hierarchical order on three different length scales exists in these layers, made up of distinct well-ordered dichroic areas at the ten-micrometer-scale, which are sub-divided into domains with different molecular in-plane orientation. These serve as a template for the formation of smaller needle-like crystallites at the layer surface. A high degree of crystalline order is believed to be the cause of the rather high field-effect mobility of these layers of 10(-3) cm 2 V(-1) s(-1), whereas it is limited by the presence of domain boundaries at macroscopic distances.
Y1  - 2011
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201001978
SN  - 1616-301X
VL  - 21
IS  - 5
SP  - 860
EP  - 868
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Malden
ER  -