Spectroscopic and Intensity Modulated Photocurrent Imaging of Polymer/Fullerene Solar Cells.

Molecular spectroscopic and intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) imaging techniques are used to map morphology-dependent charge recombination in organic polymer/fullerene solar cells. IMPS uses a small (∼10%) sinusoidal modulation of an excitation light source and photocurrent responses are measured while modulation frequencies are swept over several decades (∼1 Hz-20 kHz). Solar cells consisting of either poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(2-methoxy-5-(3'-7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MDMO-PPV) blended with a soluble fullerene derivative, [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) are used as targets. The morphologies of these polymer/fullerene systems are distinctly different due to PCBM miscibility in various polymer conformers. IMPS responses of both blend solar cells show unique morphology-dependent charge generation, transport and extraction signatures that can be spatially correlated to microscopic variations in local composition and packing by constructing IMPS images along with corresponding molecular spectroscopic imaging over the same scan area. We find that boundaries separating enriched polymer and fullerene domains promote nongeminate charge recombination appearing as positive phase shifts in the IMPS response. These zones are susceptible to degradation and we propose the approaches herein can be used to probe material and device degradation in situ under various conditions, such as oxygen content, temperature and ionizing radiation.

Understanding the Structural Evolution of Single Conjugated Polymer Chain Conformers.

Single molecule photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy of conjugated polymers has shed new light on the complex structure⁻function relationships of these materials. Although extensive work has been carried out using polarization and excitation intensity modulated experiments to elucidate conformation-dependent photophysics, surprisingly little attention has been given to information contained in the PL spectral line shapes. We investigate single molecule PL spectra of the prototypical conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) which exists in at least two emissive conformers and can only be observed at dilute levels. Using a model based on the well-known "Missing Mode Effect" (MIME), we show that vibronic progression intervals for MEH-PPV conformers can be explained by relative contributions from particular skeletal vibrational modes. Here, observed progression intervals do not match any ground state Raman active vibrational frequency and instead represent a coalescence of multiple modes in the frequency domain. For example, the higher energy emitting "blue" MEH-PPV form exhibits PL maxima at ~18,200 cm-1 with characteristic MIME progression intervals of ~1200⁻1350 cm-1, whereas the lower energy emitting "red" form peaks at ~17,100 cm-1 with intervals in the range of ~1350⁻1450 cm-1. The main differences in blue and red MEH-PPV chromophores lie in the intra-chain order, or, planarity of monomers within a chromophore segment. We demonstrate that the Raman-active out-of-plane C⁻H wag of the MEH-PPV vinylene group (~966 cm-1) has the greatest influence in determining the observed vibronic progression MIME interval. Namely, larger displacements (intensities)-indicating lower intra-chain order-lower the effective MIME interval. This simple model provides useful insights into the conformational characteristics of the heterogeneous chromophore landscape without requiring costly and time-consuming low temperature or single molecule Raman capabilities.

Azulene methacrylate polymers: synthesis, electronic properties, and solar cell fabrication.

We report the synthesis of novel azulene-substituted methacrylate polymers by free radical polymerization, in which the azulene moieties represent hydrophobic dipoles strung pendant to the polymer backbone and impart unique electronic properties to the polymers. Tunable optoelectronic properties were realized by adjusting the azulene density, ranging from homopolymers (having one azulene group per repeat unit) to copolymers in which the azulene density was diluted with other pendant groups. Treating these polymers with organic acids revealed optical and excitonic behavior that depended critically on the azulene density along the polymer chain. Copolymers of azulene with zwitterionic methacrylates proved useful as cathode modification layers in bulk-heterojunction solar cells, where the relative azulene content affected the device metrics and the power conversion efficiency reached 7.9%.

Morphology-dependent electronic properties in cross-linked (P3HT-b-P3MT) block copolymer nanostructures.

Combined Kelvin probe force microscopy and wavelength-resolved photoluminescence measurements on individual pre- and post-cross-linked poly(3-hexylthiophene)-b-poly(3-methyl alcohol thiophene) (P3HT-b-P3MT) nanofibers have revealed striking differences in their optical and electronic properties driven by structural perturbation of the crystalline aggregate nanofiber structures after cross-linking. Chemical cross-linking from diblock copolymer P3HT-b-P3MT using a hexamethylene diisocyanate cross-linker produces a variety of morphologies including very small nanowires, nanofiber bundles, nanoribbons, and sheets, whose relative abundance can be controlled by reaction time and cross-linker concentration. While the different cross-linked morphologies have almost identical photophysical characteristics, KPFM measurements show that the surface potential contrast, related to the work function of the sample, depends sensitively on nanostructure morphology related to chain-packing disorder.

Cross-linked functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanofibers with tunable excitonic coupling.

We show that mechanically and chemically robust functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanofibers can be made via chemical cross-linking. Dramatically different photophysical properties are observed depending on the choice of functionalizing moiety and cross-linking strategy. Starting with two different nanofiber families formed from (a) P3HT-b-P3MT or (b) P3HT-b-P3ST diblock copolymers, cross-linking to form robust nanowire structures was readily achieved by either a third-party cross-linking agent (hexamethylene diisocyanate, HDI) which links methoxy side chains on the P3MT system, or direct disulfide cross-link for the P3ST system. Although the nanofiber families have similar gross structure (and almost identical pre-cross-linked absorption spectra), they have completely different photophysics as signaled by ensemble and single nanofiber wavelength- and time-resolved photoluminescence as well as transient absorption (visible and near-IR) probes. For the P3ST diblock nanofibers, excitonic coupling appears to be essentially unchanged before and after cross-linking. In contrast, cross-linked P3MT nanofibers show photoluminescence similar in electronic origin, vibronic structure, and lifetime to unaggregated P3HT molecules, e.g., dissolved in an inert polymer matrix, suggesting almost complete extinction of excitonic coupling. We hypothesize that the different photophysical properties can be understood from structural perturbations resulting from the cross-linking: For the P3MT system, the DIC linker induces a high degree of strain on the P3HT aggregate block, thus disrupting both intra- and interchain coupling. For the P3ST system, the spatial extent of the cross-linking is approximately commensurate with the interlamellar spacing, resulting in a minimally perturbed aggregate structure.

Packing dependent electronic coupling in single poly(3-hexylthiophene) H- and J-aggregate nanofibers.

Nanofibers (NFs) of the prototype conjugated polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), displaying H- and J-aggregate character are studied using temperature- and pressure-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Single J-aggregate NF spectra show a decrease of the 0-0/0-1 vibronic intensity ratio from ~2.0 at 300 K to ~1.3 at 4 K. Temperature-dependent PL line shape parameters (i.e., 0-0 energies and 0-0/0-1 intensity ratios) undergo an abrupt change in the range of ~110-130 K suggesting a change in NF chain packing. Pressure-dependent PL lifetimes also show increased contributions from an instrument-limited decay component which is attributed to greater torsional disorder of the P3HT backbone upon decreasing NF volume. It is proposed that the P3HT alkyl side groups change their packing arrangement from a type I to type II configuration causing a decrease in J-aggregate character (lower intrachain order) in both temperature- and pressure-dependent PL spectra. Chain packing dependent exciton and polaron relaxation and recombination dynamics in NF aggregates are next studied using transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS). TAS data reveal faster polaron recombination dynamics in H-type P3HT NFs indicative of interchain delocalization whereas J-type NFs exhibit delayed recombination suggesting that polarons (in addition to excitons) are more delocalized along individual chains. Both time-resolved and steady-state spectra confirm that excitons and polarons in J-type NFs are predominantly intrachain in nature that can acquire interchain character with small structural (chain packing) perturbations.

Resonance Raman studies of excited state structural displacements of conjugated polymers in donor/acceptor charge transfer complexes.

Resonance Raman spectra of poly(2-methoxy-5-(3'-7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MDMO-PPV) and small molecule acceptor blend charge transfer (CT) complexes reveal long and detailed progressions of overtone and combination bands. These features are sensitive to the specific MDMO-PPV/acceptor interactions and enable quantitative calculations of vibrational mode specific displacements of the polymer CT complex.

Effect of fullerene intercalation on the conformation and packing of poly-(2-methoxy-5-(3'-7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene).

Photoluminescence (PL) and resonance Raman spectroscopy are used to track changes in the conformations and packing of poly-(2-methoxy-5-(3'-7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MDMO-PPV) chains with the addition of [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) molecules. PL lineshapes of MDMO-PPV thin films as a function of annealing time were first measured to determine the spectroscopic signatures of chain conformations and packing in the absence of PCBM. Annealing results in enhanced interchain interactions leading to red-shifts of PL 0-0 transitions by up to ∼300 cm(-1) and apparent increases of the line shape Huang-Rhys factors. Wavelength-dependent PL lifetimes of as-cast and films annealed for short times (∼30 s) are nonexponential with an instrument-limited component of ∼100 ps and a ∼350 ps component. With longer annealing times, decays become single exponential with an average lifetime of ∼1 ns indicating that all excitations efficiently funnel to strongly coupled interchain sites. Addition of PCBM disrupts MDMO-PPV interchain interactions causing PL 0-0 transitions to blue-shift, increases in line width, and decreases in apparent Huang-Rhys factors. Resonance Raman spectra of MDMO-PPV/PCBM thin films with variable PCBM weight fractions (∼50:1 up to 1:8 w/w) were then measured using short (488 nm) and long (568 nm) excitation wavelengths. The out-of-plane vinylene C-H wag mode of MDMO-PPV (∼964 cm(-1)) showed pronounced increases in intensity of up to ∼30% and red-shifts of up to 5 cm(-1) with increasing PCBM content. These changes result from a decrease of planarity between chain segments that suppresses interchain interactions. Furthermore, red-shifts of up to ∼4 cm(-1) were observed for the C═C symmetric stretch of the MDMO-PPV vinylene group (∼1625 cm(-1)) with 488 nm excitation. The sensitivity of the MDMO-PPV vinylene group vibrations with PCBM indicates preferential interactions between these two molecules and is consistent with intercalation of PCBM into the polymer structure. This assignment was confirmed by thermally annealing of MDMO-PPV/PCBM films to remove intercalated PCBM molecules, which partially restores interchain interactions as seen from smaller intensity increases (∼15%) and red-shifts (∼2 cm(-1)) of the ∼964 cm(-1) mode. Overall, the spectroscopic results show that MDMO-PPV chains adopt distorted conformations (i.e., less intrachain order and shorter conjugation lengths) that have important implications for explaining the structural origins for large improvements in charge mobilities in MDMO-PPV/PCBM blends.

Observation of the missing mode effect in a poly-phenylenevinylene derivative: effect of solvent, chain packing, and composition.

Optical emission spectra of poly[2-methoxy-5-[3('),7(')-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) in dilute solutions exhibit a vibronic progression interval (∼1225 cm(-1)) that does not correspond to any ground state vibrational mode frequency. This phenomenon is assigned as the missing mode effect (MIME) in which five key displaced polymer backbone vibrational modes in the range of 800-1600 cm(-1) contribute to the MIME interval. Emission spectra are calculated by analytically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation using estimates of mode-specific vibrational displacements determined independently from preresonance Raman intensities. Emission spectra of MDMO-PPV thin films and nanoparticles are measured and lineshapes show an increase of the MIME frequency to ∼1340 cm(-1) in addition to changes in vibronic intensity distributions and energies. Composite blend thin films consisting of MDMO-PPV and a fullerene derivative (1:1 w/w) exhibit a substantially larger MIME interval (∼1450 cm(-1)) that arises from an increase in polymer chain planarity. This structural change is most apparent from large decreases of the excited state displacement of an out-of-plane C-H bending mode (961 cm(-1)) that becomes forbidden in the planar structure.