Abstract
We show that a precise control of deposition speed during the fabrication of polyfullerenes and donor polymer films by convective self-assembly leads to an optimized film microstructure comprised of interconnected crystalline polymer domains comparable to molecular dimensions intercalated with similar polyfullerene domains. Moreover, in blended films, we have found a correlation between deposition speed, the resulting microstructure, and photoluminescence quenching. The latter appeared more intense for lower deposition speeds due to a more favorable structuring at the nanoscale of the two donor and acceptor systems in the resulting blend films.
Highlights
Nowadays, alternative renewable energy sources are becoming essential in our society, and organic photovoltaics (OPVs) could become in the near future a viable technological solution for continuously increasing societal energy needs
We show that a precise control of deposition speed during the fabrication of polyfullerenes and donor polymer films by convective self-assembly leads to an optimized film microstructure comprised of interconnected crystalline polymer domains comparable to molecular dimensions intercalated with similar polyfullerene domains
The deposition of PCE11:PPCBMB blended films using the CSA technique led to a film microstructure that could be differentiated from that obtained in spin-cast analogue films (Figure 1)
Summary
Alternative renewable energy sources are becoming essential in our society, and organic photovoltaics (OPVs) could become in the near future a viable technological solution for continuously increasing societal energy needs. Because photoluminescence (PL) quenching is a measure of excitons separation at the donor–acceptor interfaces [11], it is important to maximize PL quenching between the donor and the acceptor materials when fabricating OPVs. In the literature, researchers have described many efficient techniques that can be used to control more or less molecular conformations and microstructure in the active layer [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20] and to efficiently tune the emission/quenching properties [21,22].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
