@article{ZhangChenArminetal.2017,
  author    = {Zhang, Kai and Chen, Zhiming and Armin, Ardalan and Dong, Sheng and Xia, Ruoxi and Yip, Hin-Lap and Shoaee, Safa and Huang, Fei and Cao, Yong},
  title     = {Efficient large area organic solar cells processed by blade-coating with single-component green solvent},
  series = {Solar Rrl},
  volume    = {2},
  journal   = {Solar Rrl},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Wiley-VCH},
  address   = {Weinheim},
  issn      = {2367-198X},
  doi       = {10.1002/solr.201700169},
  pages     = {9},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {While the performance of laboratory-scale organic solar cells (OSCs) continues to grow, development of high efficiency large area OSCs remains a big challenge. Although a few attempts to produce large area organic solar cells (OSCs) have been reported, there are still challenges on the way to realizing efficient module devices, such as the low compatibility of the thickness-sensitive active layer with large area coating techniques, the frequent need for toxic solvents and tedious optimization processes used during device fabrication. In this work, highly efficient thickness-insensitive OSCs based on PTB7-Th:PC71BM that processed with single-component green solvent 2-methylanisole are presented, in which both junction thickness limitation and solvent toxicity issues are simultaneously addressed. Careful investigation reveals that this green solvent prevents the evolution of PC71BM into large area clusters resulting in reduced charge carrier recombination, and largely eliminates trapping centers, and thus improves the thickness tolerance of the films. These findings enable us to address the scalability and solvent toxicity issues and to fabricate a 16 cm(2) OSC with doctor-blade coating with a state-of-the-art power conversion efficiency of 7.5\% using green solvent.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ArminDurrantShoaee2017,
  author    = {Armin, Ardalan and Durrant, James R. and Shoaee, Safa},
  title     = {Interplay Between Triplet-, Singlet-Charge Transfer States and Free Charge Carriers Defining Bimolecular Recombination Rate Constant of Organic Solar Cells},
  series = {The journal of physical chemistry : C, Nanomaterials and interfaces},
  volume    = {121},
  journal   = {The journal of physical chemistry : C, Nanomaterials and interfaces},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {1932-7447},
  doi       = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b04825},
  pages     = {13969 -- 13976},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Despite the myriad of organic donor:acceptor materials, only few systems have emerged in the life of organic solar cells to, exhibit considerable reduced bimolecular recombination, with respect to the random encounter rate given by the Langevin equation. Monte Carlo simulations have revealed that the rate constant of the formation of electron-hole bound states depends on the random encounter of opposite charges and is nearly given by the Langevin equation for the domain sizes relevant to efficient bulk heterojunction systems. Recently, three studies :suggested that charge transfer states dissociating much faster than their decay rate to the ground state, can result in reduced bimolecular recombination by lowering the recombination rate to the ground state as a loss pathway. A separate study identified another loss pathway and suggested that forbidden back electron transfer from triplet charge transfer states to triplet excitons is a key to achieving reduced recombination. Herein we further explain the reduced bimolecular recombination by investigating the limitations of these two proposals. By solving kinetic rate equations for a BHJ system with realistic rates, we show that both of these previously presented conditions must only be held at the same time fora system to exhibit non-Langevin behavior. We demonstrate that suppression of both of the parallel loss channels of singlet and triplet states can be achieved through increasing the dissociation rate of the charge transfer states; a crucial requirement to achieve a high charge carrier extraction efficiency.},
  language  = {en}
}