Role of Molecular Weight on the Mechanical Device Properties of Organic Polymer Solar Cells
Type
ArticleKAUST Grant Number
KUS-C1-015-21Date
2014-01-24Online Publication Date
2014-01-24Print Publication Date
2014-02-11Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/599533
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For semiconducting polymers, such as regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene-2, 5-diyl) (rr-P3HT), the molecular weight has been correlated to charge carrier field-effect mobilities, surface morphology, and gelation rates in solution and therefore has important implications for long-Term reliability, manufacturing, and future applications of electronic organic thin films. In this work, we show that the molecular weight rr-P3HT in organic solar cells can also significantly change the internal cohesion of the photoactive layer using micromechanical testing techniques. Cohesive values ranged from ∼0.5 to ∼17 J m -2, following the general trend of greater cohesion with increasing molecular weight. Using nanodynamic mechanical analysis, we attribute the increase in cohesion to increased plasticity which helps dissipate the applied energy. Finally, we correlate photovoltaic efficiency with cohesion to assess the device physics pertinent to optimizing device reliability. This research elucidates the fundamental parameters which affect both the mechanical stability and efficiency of polymer solar cells. © 2014 American Chemical Society.Citation
Bruner C, Dauskardt R (2014) Role of Molecular Weight on the Mechanical Device Properties of Organic Polymer Solar Cells. Macromolecules 47: 1117–1121. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ma402215j.Sponsors
This work was supported by the Center for Advanced Molecular Photovoltaics (CAMP) under the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under award KUS-C1-015-21.Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)Journal
Macromoleculesae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1021/ma402215j