Fine Phase Separation Research Articles

Morphological Effects on the Performance of Broadband Organic Photomultiplication Photodetectors Containing Selenium Substituted Non‐Fullerene Acceptors

AbstractOrganic photodetectors (OPDs) with spectral response extending from ultraviolet to near‐infrared domains are of great interest for many applications. Morphological impact on the performance of photomultiplication (PM)‐type OPDs, however, is still rarely investigated so far. Herein, a non‐fullerene acceptor, Y6‐Se‐HD, is synthesized, in which heavier selenium atoms substitute the sulfur atoms in the core of Y6, and used for fabricating PM‐OPDs. The resulting devices exhibit remarkable PM effects in a very broadband spectral range covering from 320 to 1090 nm. A maximum EQE value of ≈6500% at 860 nm is achieved at a low bias of −1.0 V. As compared with the device prepared with Y6 molecules, the Y6‐Se‐HD OPDs exhibited much enhanced performance. From the morphological analysis, we infer that Y6‐Se‐HD almost covers the entire active layer and avoids the direct contact of the hole‐trapping donor polymers with the Ag electrode, thereby resulting in stronger charge trapping and preventing possible charge recombination and/or quenching. Furthermore, finer phase separation between the donor and acceptor molecules also facilitates hole trapping and strengthens the PM effects. This research highlights the importance of morphological effects on the PM‐OPDs and demonstrates one approach for controlling the device morphology.

Highly Skin-Compliant Polymeric Electrodes with Synergistically Boosted Conductivity toward Wearable Health Monitoring.

Despite rapid advances in stretchable electrodes, successful examples of polymeric dry electrodes are limited. Especially in wearable health monitoring, it is urgent to develop biocompatible electrodes that possess intrinsic skin-compliance while maintaining a high conductivity. Herein, a strategy is demonstrated to synergistically regulate the interpenetration behavior and molecular crystallinity in the blend via embedding a novel double network, i.e. physically cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and covalently cross-linked polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA), into the PEDOT:PSS matrix. The favorable interaction energy between PVA and PEGDA enables well-distributed microstructure with finer phase separation in the film, affording a low Young's modulus of 16 MPa with a high conductivity of 442 S/cm. Consequently, the optimal polymeric electrode can acquire high-quality electromyogram (EMG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Our results provide a feasible approach for producing skin-compliant polymeric electrodes toward next-generation health monitors.

Effects of fluorination position on all-polymer organic solar cells

In organic solar cells, fluorination has a great influence on the performance of non-fullerene acceptors, however there are very few studies on the effects of fluorination position on polymerized small molecule acceptors. In this article, two polymer acceptor materials (PAL1 and PAL2) with different fluorine substitution positions are investigated to study the influence of fluorinated forms on polymerized small molecule acceptor materials and the all-polymer solar cell performance. The end group fluorinated polymer acceptor material PAL1 and the π-bridge fluorinated polymer acceptor material PAL2 have similar absorption spectra and energy levels. While the blend film based on the polymer donor PM6:PAL1 has smaller roughness, finer phase separation, and tighter molecular packing, compared to the blend film of PM6:PAL2. Thus PM6:PAL1-based all-polymer organic solar cells (all-PSCs) have longer carrier life, faster carrier mobilities, and less bimolecular recombination.These polymer properties can simultaneously enhance the Jsc and FF of PM6:PAL1 based devices, finally achieving a device efficiency of 13.53%, which is significantly better than PM6:PAL2 based devices (9.16%). More importantly, the device based on PM6:PAL1 has excellent stability. When stored in a nitrogen atmosphere for 90 days, the PCE attenuation is only 4.2%. This work enriches the types of polymer acceptor materials and provides new ideas for the design of high-performance all-PSCs.

Reduced miscibility between highly compatible non-fullerene acceptor and donor enables efficient ternary organic solar cells

The morphology of the photoactive layer within organic solar cells (OSCs) plays a key role in determining device performance. In addition to the film forming conditions, miscibility between donors and acceptors critically derives the corresponding morphology, which can be empirically evaluated by the Flory–Huggins interaction (χ). Herein, a new non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) with long alkyl chains and fluorinated end groups, BTP-4F–C9-20, is reported, which has sufficient solubility in common solvents and good miscibility with the polymer donor PM6. PM6:BTP-4F–C9-20 binary OSC achieved a maximum PCE of 16.5%, as a result of fine phase separation that creates abundant heterojunctions for exciton dissociation but insufficient bi-continuous pathways for charge transport. A chlorinated NFA Y7-BO with higher χ with PM6 is introduced into the PM6:BTP-4F–C9-20 host system, which increases phase separation with slightly enlarged domains to better shape the charge transport pathways. The PM6:BTP-4F–C9-20:Y7-BO (1:1.1:0.1) ternary OSC achieved a higher PCE of 17.3%, although Y7-BO provides limited complementary light absorption. This work demonstrates that the Flory–Huggins interaction is an effective parameter to fine tune the morphology of ternary OSCs to promote photovoltaic performance.

Self‐Powered Organic Photodetectors with High Detectivity for Near Infrared Light Detection Enabled by Dark Current Reduction

AbstractOrganic photodetectors (OPDs) for near infrared (NIR) light detection represents cutting‐edge technology for optical communication, environmental monitoring, biomedical imaging, and sensing. Herein, a series of self‐powered OPDs with high detectivity are constructed by the sequential deposition (SD) method. The dark currents (Jd) of SD devices are effectively reduced in comparison to blend casting (BC) ones due to the vertical phase segregation structure. Impressively, the Jd values of SD devices based on D18 and Y6 system is reduced to be 2.1 × 10−11 A cm−2 at 0 V, which is two orders of magnitude lower than those of the BC devices. The D* value of the SD device is superior to that of BC device under different bias voltages (0, −0.5, −1.0, and −2.0 V) due to the reduction of dark current, which originates from the fine vertical phase separation structure of the SD device. The mechanism studies shows that the vertical phase segregation structure can effectively suppress the unfavorable charge injection, thus reducing the dark current. Also, the surface energy is proven to play a key role in the photocurrent stability. In addition, the flexible OPDs demonstrate excellent performance in photoplethysmography test.

Efficient As‐Cast Polymer Solar Cells with High and Stabilized Fill Factor

Molecular ordering and miscibility of donor and acceptor materials play critical roles in developing high‐performance as‐cast polymer solar cells (PSCs). In this work, a highly crystalline nonfullerene small molecular acceptor, namely, C8‐IT‐4F, based on alkylated indacenodithieno[3,2‐b]thiophene as the aromatic core and 2‐(5,6‐difluoro‐3‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐inden‐1‐ylidene)malononitrile moieties as end groups, is selected and synthesized. The π–π stacking distance in C8‐IT‐4F film can be tuned from 3.88 Å to a more compact (3.48 Å) state by a film‐formation process and the confinement induced by the preaggregated polymer donor PM7, leading to broadened absorption and fine phase separation in the blend film. The optimal morphology with a framework of preaggregated polymer donor, J‐type face‐on π–π stacked acceptor, and appropriate donor/acceptor miscibility facilitates charge generation and transport and reduces charge recombination. As a result, the best PSC based on the as‐cast PM7:C8‐IT‐4F blend film exhibits power conversion efficiency of 14.3%, with an open‐circuit voltage of 0.82 V, a short‐circuit current density of 22.7 mA cm−2, a fill factor of 77.1%, and good photostability with a stabilized fill factor.

Optimizing the Phase-Separated Domain Size of the Active Layer via Sequential Crystallization in All-Polymer Solar Cells.

The proper domain size of the active layer plays a key role in determining the exciton dissociation and charge transport in all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs). However, fine-tuning the domain size remains challenging due to low glass transition temperature and negligible mixing entropy in polymer blends. Herein, we systematically studied the influence of "crystallization kinetics" on the domain size and proposed that if the donor and acceptor crystallize simultaneously, they are prone to form a large domain, while if sequential crystallization of the donor and acceptor occurs, a fine phase separation structure with the proper domain size can be obtained. Taking PBDB-T/PNDI blends for instance, the domain size was decreased by using sequential crystallization; meanwhile, the crystallinity and molecular orientation were also optimized, boosting the power conversion efficiency from 6.55% to 7.78%. This work provides a novel way to finely tune the heterojunction phase separation structures.

Molecular Order Control of Non-fullerene Acceptors for High-Efficiency Polymer Solar Cells

Summary Adjusting molecular ordering, orientation, and nanoscale morphology within the photoactive layer of polymer:non-fullerene organic solar cells is crucial in achieving high power-conversion efficiency (PCE). Herein, we demonstrate that the molecular ordering and orientation of the n-type small-molecule acceptor COi8DFIC can be tuned from flat-on and edge-on lamellar crystalline to H- and J-type π-π stacking during the solution-casting process, resulting in broadened photon absorption and fine phase separation with the electron donor PTB7-Th. This favorable morphology with face-on π-π stacked electron donors and acceptors promotes efficient exciton dissociation at the donor/acceptor interface, together with enhanced and balanced carrier mobility. The enhanced short-circuit current density and fill factor lead to the achievement of a maximum PCE of 13.8% in binary, single-junction PTB7-Th:COi8DFIC non-fullerene polymer solar cells while also exhibiting superior stability.

Retarding the Crystallization of a Nonfullerene Electron Acceptor for High‐Performance Polymer Solar Cells

AbstractDeveloping a fundamental understanding of the molecular order within the photoactive layer, and the influence therein of solution casting conditions, is a key factor in obtaining high power conversation efficiency (PCE) polymer solar cells. Herein, the molecular order in PBDB‐T:INPIC‐4F nonfullerene solar cells is tuned by control of the molecular organization time during film casting, and the crucial role of retarding the crystallization of INPIC‐4F in achieving high performance is demonstrated. When PBDB‐T:INPIC‐4F is cast with the presence of solvent vapor to prolong the organization time, INPIC‐4F molecules form spherulites with a polycrystalline structure, resulting in large phase separation and device efficiency below 10%. On the contrary, casting the film on a hot substrate is effective in suppressing the formation of the polycrystalline structure, and encourages face‐on π−π stacking of INPIC‐4F. This molecular transformation of INPIC‐4F significantly enhances the absorption ability of INPIC‐4F at long wavelengths and facilitates a fine phase separation to support efficient exciton dissociation and balanced charge transport, leading to the achievement of a maximum PCE of 13.1%. This work provides a rational guide for optimizing nonfullerene polymer solar cells consisting of highly crystallizable small molecular electron acceptors.

Regioisomeric π-conjugated terpolymers bearing carboxylate substituted thienothiophenyl quarterthiophene and their application to fullerene-free polymer solar cells

Two regioisomeric π-conjugated terpolymers bearing carboxylated thiophene (CT) as electron accepting unit and thienothiophene (TT) and bithiophene (BT) as electron donating units were successfully synthesized for enhancing the performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Regio-regular and regio-random binary copolymers based on CT and BT were also prepared as control polymers. All polymers showed unique optical properties and crystalline behaviors. Among the PSC devices fabricated in this study, the PSC based on the regio-random terpolymer (Ran-TT) and 3,9-bis(2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis (4-hexylphenyl) dithieno [2,3-d:2′,3′-d′]-s-indaceno [1,2-b:5,6b′]-dithiophene (ITIC) exhibited the highest power conversion efficiency of 5.65% with a high short circuit current density (Jsc) of 12.63 mA cm−2 and an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.81 V. The promising PCE value is attributed to the low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of Ran-TT, effective complementary absorption spectrum and favorable internal morphology of the blend film. The internal morphology of the Ran-TT was observed to be more fine phase separation than that of the regio-regular terpolymer, facilitating exciton diffusion and dissociation in the bulk heterojunction.

Thiophene Rings Improve the Device Performance of Conjugated Polymers in Polymer Solar Cells with Thick Active Layers

AbstractDeveloping novel materials that tolerate thickness variations of the active layer is critical to further enhance the efficiency of polymer solar cells and enable large‐scale manufacturing. Presently, only a few polymers afford high efficiencies at active layer thickness exceeding 200 nm and molecular design guidelines for developing successful materials are lacking. It is thus highly desirable to identify structural factors that determine the performance of semiconducting conjugated polymers in thick‐film polymer solar cells. Here, it is demonstrated that thiophene rings, introduced in the backbone of alternating donor–acceptor type conjugated polymers, enhance the fill factor and overall efficiency for thick (>200 nm) solar cells. For a series of fluorinated semiconducting polymers derived from electron‐rich benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene units and electron‐deficient 5,6‐difluorobenzo[2,1,3]thiazole units a steady increase of the fill factor and power conversion efficiency is found when introducing thiophene rings between the donor and acceptor units. The increased performance is a synergistic result of an enhanced hole mobility and a suppressed bimolecular charge recombination, which is attributed to more favorable polymer chain packing and finer phase separation.

Alkenyl Carboxylic Acid: Engineering the Nanomorphology in Polymer-Polymer Solar Cells as Solvent Additive.

We have investigated a series of commercially available alkenyl carboxylic acids with different alkenyl chain lengths (trans-2-hexenoic acid (CA-6), trans-2-decenoic acid (CA-10), 9-tetradecenoic acid (CA-14)) for use as solvent additives in polymer-polymer non-fullerene solar cells. We systematically investigated their effect on the film absorption, morphology, carrier generation, transport, and recombination in all-polymer solar cells. We revealed that these additives have a significant impact on the aggregation of polymer acceptor, leading to improved phase segregation in the blend film. This in-depth understanding of the additives effect on the nanomorphology in all-polymer solar cell can help further boost the device performance. By using CA-10 with the optimal alkenyl chain length, we achieved fine phase separation, balanced charge transport, and suppressed recombination in all-polymer solar cells. As a result, an optimal power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.71% was demonstrated which is over 50% higher than that of the as-cast device (PCE = 3.71%) and slightly higher than that of devices with DIO treatment (PCE = 5.68%). Compared with widely used DIO, these halogen-free alkenyl carboxylic acids have a more sustainable processing as well as better performance, which may make them more promising candidates for use as processing additives in organic non-fullerene solar cells.

Morphology Control in Films of Isoindigo Polymers by Side-Chain and Molecular Weight Effects.

The performance of devices relying on organic electronic materials, such as organic field-effect transistors (OFET) and organic photovoltaics (OPV), is strongly correlated to the morphology of the conjugated material in thin films. For instance, several factors such as polymer solubility, weak intermolecular forces between polymers and fullerene derivatives, and film drying time impact phase separation in the active layer of a bulk heterojunction OPV device. In an effort to probe the influence of polymer assembly on morphology of polymer thin films and phase separation with fullerene derivatives, five terthiophene-alt-isoindigo copolymers were synthesized with alkyl side-chains of varying lengths and branching on the terthiophene unit. These P[T3(R)-iI] polymers were designed to have similar optoelectronic properties but different solubilities in o-dichlorobenzene and were predicted to have different tendencies for crystallization. All polymers with linear alkyl chains exhibit similar thin film morphologies as investigated by grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The main differences in electronic and morphological properties arise when P[T3(R)-iI] is substituted with branched 2-ethylhexyl (2EH) side-chains. The bulky 2EH substituents lead to a blue-shifted absorption, a lower ionization potential, and reduced ordering in polymer thin films. The five P[T3-iI] derivatives span hole mobilities from 1.5 × 10-3 to 2.8 × 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1 in OFET devices. In OPV devices, the 2EH-substituted polymers yield open-circuit voltages of 0.88 V in BHJ devices yet low short-circuit currents of 0.8 mA cm-2, which is explained by the large phase separation observed by AFM in blends of P[T3(2EH)-iI] with PC71BM. In these P[T3(R)-iI] systems, the propensity for the polymers to self-assemble prior to aggregation of PC71BM molecules was key to achieving fine phase separation and increased short-circuit currents, eventually resulting in power conversion efficiencies of 5% in devices processed using a single solvent.

Polymer solar cells spray coated with non-halogenated solvents

Using spray-coating technique, we successfully fabricated conventional ITO-based and inverted ITO-free polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on a conjugated polymer poly[2,3-bis-(3-octyloxyphenyl) quinoxaline-5,8-diyl-alt-thiophene-2,5-diyl] (TQ1) as the donor and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) or [6,6] -phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as the acceptor. Environment-friendly non-halogenated solvents were used to process the active layers. The influence of substrate temperatures and processing solvents on the photovoltaic performance of the ITO-based TQ1:PC61BM PSCs was systemically investigated. A higher substrate temperature can accelerate the solvent evaporating rate and afford a micro-textured rougher surface, which efficiently reduced light reflectance and enhanced absorption. Furthermore, finer phase separation was observed when using this high substrate temperature, which led to enhanced photocurrent due to the reduced bimolecular recombination. The device performance of spray-processed PSCs using the non-halogenated solvent mixtures was comparable to that of spray-processed PSCs using the halogenated o-dichlorobenzene (oDCB), which demonstrates that the non-halogenated solvents are very promising in spray-processed PSCs. This work sheds new light on developing efficient roll-to-roll compatible spray-coated PSCs with environment-friendly solvents.

Nanoimprinting-Induced Nanomorphological Transition in Polymer Solar Cells: Enhanced Electrical and Optical Performance

We have investigated the effects of a directly nanopatterned active layer on the electrical and optical properties of inverted polymer solar cells (i-PSCs). The capillary force in confined molds plays a critical role in polymer crystallization and phase separation of the film. The nanoimprinting process induced improved crystallization and multidimensional chain alignment of polymers for more effective charge transfer and a fine phase-separation between polymers and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) to favor exciton dissociation and increase the generation rate of charge transfer excitons. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency with a periodic nanostructure was enhanced from 7.40% to 8.50% and 7.17% to 9.15% in PTB7 and PTB7-Th based i-PSCs, respectively.

Charge transport and recombination in PDPP5T:[70]PCBM organic solar cells: The influence of morphology

The performance of organic bulk heterojunction solar cells is strongly dependent on the donor/acceptor morphology. Morphological parameters, such as the extent and the composition of donor- and acceptor-rich domains, influence both the charge generation and the charge transport throughout the active layer. This work focuses on a polymer:fullerene system based on a small bandgap diketopyrrolopyrrole–quinquethiophene alternating copolymer (PDPP5T) mixed with [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester ([70]PCBM) that is capable of efficiencies higher than 6%. By changing the processing conditions, the morphology can be varied from a coarse separated morphology, with fullerene domains (blobs) embedded in a polymer-rich matrix, to a completely mixed layer.The charge carrier transport and the strength of the bimolecular recombination in PDPP5T:[70]PCBM blends with different morphologies and fullerene concentrations are experimentally characterized. The large difference in electron and hole mobility and the electric field dependency of the electron mobility are identified as the causes that limit the performance of devices with low [70]PCBM content. These effects are not present if the concentration of [70]PCBM is increased while keeping a fine phase separation by the addition of ortho-dichlorobenzene as a cosolvent.For the phase-separated blends, a model is proposed, based on a drift–diffusion approach that combines electrical and morphological parameters; with this model the contribution of each phase to the total current is quantified. Under operating conditions, most of the current comes from the interfacial region between the phases, with holes traveling through the matrix and the electrons through the blobs. This device model consistently connects morphological features to overall device performance.

Low-Band-Gap Conjugated Polymers of Dithieno[2,3-b:7,6-b]carbazole and Diketopyrrolopyrrole: Effect of the Alkyl Side Chain on Photovoltaic Properties

Four donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers of dithieno[2,3-b;7,6-b]carbazole (DTC) and diketopyrrolopyrrole, which have different alkyls on the nitrogen atom in the DTC unit and are named as P-C8C8, P-C5C5, P-C12, and P-C10, respectively, have been synthesized for studying the effect of the alkyl side chains on the optoelectronic properties of the polymers. All polymers are soluble in various organic solvents and exhibit identical optical band gaps (E(g)(opt)) of ~1.3 eV and highest occupied molecular orbital energy levels of ~−5.1 eV. Organic thin-film transistors and bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells (BHJ PSCs) with phenyl-C(71)-butyric acid methyl ester (PC(71)BM) as the electron-accepting material were fabricated via solution spin-casting. Compared to the polymers substituted by branched alkyl chains, the polymers with straight alkyl chains show higher hole mobility. Of these polymers, P-C10 exhibits the highest field effect mobility up to 0.011 cm(2)/V·s. The alkyl chain on the DTC unit has a strong impact on the film morphology of polymer:PC(71)BM blends. Severe phase separation was found for polymers containing branched alkyl chains, and those with straight alkyl chains formed uniform films featuring fine phase separation. An open-circuit voltage (V(oc)) of 0.72 V, a short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 13.4 mA/cm(2), a fill factor (FF) of 62%, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.9% were demonstrated for BHJ PSCs based on the P-C10:PC(71)BM [1:3 (w/w)] blend film.

In-melt transesterification of poly(lactic acid) and poly(ethylene-co-vinylalcohol)

Transesterification of poly(lactic acid) and poly(ethylene-co-vinylalcohol) was realized in-melt using different catalysts. Reactions were first conducted in an internal mixer and the different reaction parameters effect on exchange reactions and the obtained copolymers were optimized. Among the used catalysts, 1,5,7-Triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) and Tin(II) bis(2-ethylhexanoate) (Sn(Oct)2) were particularly efficient.In a second part, reactions were made by reactive extrusion. In most of reaction conditions, compatible blends were obtained with a fine micro phase separation. Only under extreme reaction conditions, high temperature and intensive mixing, nanostructured graft copolymers were obtained.

Synthesis and characterizations of poly(ethylene-co-vinylalcohol)-grafted-poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) copolymers

Poly(ethylene-co-vinylalcohol)-grafted-poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (EVOH-g-PHBV) was prepared by a catalyzed grafting of PHBV onto immiscible EVOH. These reactions were performed at high temperature in the molten state. The choices of Tin(II) bis(2-ethylhexanoate) (Sn(Oct)2) and 1,5,7-Triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD), as catalyst, were justified by a first study in an internal mixer. The catalyst quantity, reaction temperature and reaction time were optimized to apply them in the conditions of a reactive extrusion process with a co-rotating twin screw extruder. High reaction temperature, from 180 °C to 220 °C, associated to intensive mixing led to efficient grafting of PHBV onto EVOH, compatible with short residence times required.Rheological, thermal and morphological analyses were conducted to characterize the obtained copolymers. Molecular weights were determined by SEC. SEM imaging were made on cryo-fractured surfaces of blends extruded with and without catalyst. In most of reaction conditions, a compatible blend was obtained with a fine micro phase separation. Grafted copolymers were only obtained when well defined and controlled conditions are applied.

Effect of active layer morphology on recombination mechanism in polymer: fullerene organic bulk heterojunction solar cells

ABSTRACTThe effect of phase separation of the donor-acceptor (DA) blend on the dominant recombination mechanism in polymer-fullerene [(poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)] based bulk heterojunction (BHJ) cells has been investigated. Coarse (70-150 nm) and fine (20-25 nm) phase separated blends and corresponding devices were prepared using chlorobenzene (CB) and ortho-dichlorobenzene (1,2-DCB) as spin casting solvents respectively. Nanoscale mobility measurements indicated highly unbalanced charge transport in coarse morphology based (CB cast) devices. Linear dependence of short circuit current (Jsc) vs. light intensity (I) suggested first order monomolecular (MR) recombination in the fine phase separated devices (1,2-DCB cast) whereas sub-linearity suggested dominant role of bimolecular (BR) recombination in coarse phase separated devices (CB cast). Improved device efficiency of 1,2-DCB based devices (η ≈ 2.54 %) compared to CB (η ≈ 0.9 %) may be attributed to reduced BR recombination as a result of finer phase separation.