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New insights into polymer solar cells stability: The crucial role of PCBM oxidation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2018

Anthony Perthué ,
Thérèse Gorisse ,
Hugo Santos Silva ,
Christian Lombard ,
Didier Bégué ,
Piétrick Hudhomme ,
Brigitte Pépin-Donat ,
Agnès Rivaton  and
Guillaume Wantz
Anthony Perthué
Affiliation:
CNRS, SIGMA Clermont, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont–Ferrand F-63000, France
Thérèse Gorisse
Affiliation:
IMS, CNRS, UMR 5218, Bordeaux INP, ENSCBP, Universite de Bordeaux, Talence F-33405, France
Hugo Santos Silva
Affiliation:
CNRS/Universite de Pau & Pays Adour, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l’Environnement et les Matériaux – IPREM, UMR 5254, Pau 64000, France
Christian Lombard
Affiliation:
Université Grenoble Alpes, INAC-SPRAM, Grenoble F-38000, France; CNRS, INAC-SPRAM, Grenoble F-38000, France; and CEA, INAC-SPRAM, Grenoble F-38000, France
Didier Bégué
Affiliation:
CNRS/Universite de Pau & Pays Adour, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l’Environnement et les Matériaux – IPREM, UMR 5254, Pau 64000, France
Piétrick Hudhomme
Affiliation:
MOLTECH-Anjou, Université d’Angers, Angers F-49045, France
Brigitte Pépin-Donat
Affiliation:
Université Grenoble Alpes, INAC-SPRAM, Grenoble F-38000, France; CNRS, INAC-SPRAM, Grenoble F-38000, France; and CEA, INAC-SPRAM, Grenoble F-38000, France
Agnès Rivaton*
Affiliation:
CNRS, SIGMA Clermont, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont–Ferrand F-63000, France
Guillaume Wantz*
Affiliation:
IMS, CNRS, UMR 5218, Bordeaux INP, ENSCBP, Universite de Bordeaux, Talence F-33405, France
*
a)Address all correspondence to these authors. e-mail: agnes.rivaton@uca.fr
b)e-mail: guillaume.wantz@enscpb.fr
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Abstract

Fullerene derivatives have been ubiquitous as an electron-accepting material in organic photovoltaic solar cells (OSCs). We consider whether and why traces of PCBM oxidation products should be seen as electronic defects impairing the performance of OSCs. Thin PCBM deposits were first illuminated under ambient air for a few minutes, thus revealing the extraordinary easiness of oxidizing PCBM. The charge transfer in polymer:PCBMox bulk heterojunctions was then studied. As a result of a few minutes of PCBM photooxidation, the electron transfer from the polymer to two types of PCBMox species was shown to occur at the expense of the transfer to pristine PCBM. Such modifications to the molecular structure of PCBM and to the charge transfer at the nanoscale were finally correlated with a dramatic loss in the device’s photovoltaic performance at the macroscale. This study clearly indicates the need to integrate photooxidation-resistant electron-accepting materials into OSCs to extend their lifetime.

Keywords

photovoltaicphotochemicaloxidation
Type
Invited Article
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 33 , Issue 13: Focus Issue: Stabilization of Organic Electronic Materials and Devices , 14 July 2018 , pp. 1868 - 1878
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2018 

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References

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