SusChEM: Designing Small-Molecule Replacements for Fullerenes in Organic Photovoltaics

主要研究人员：Samson JenekheNumber：1435912非技术描述太阳是地球上最丰富的无污染能源。基于集成到光伏(PV)设备中的有机聚合物的太阳能电池用于将光转换为电能，为可再生电力的生产提供了一条潜在的低成本途径。拟议的研究将使基于有机材料的新一代低成本太阳能电池的开发成为可能。具体地说，该项目将设计和合成一类具有电子性能的新型有机材料，寻求取代昂贵的富勒烯材料，用作有机聚合物太阳能电池的电子受体组件。与目前的有机聚合物太阳能电池材料相比，新材料及其制成的太阳能电池具有更耐用、更便宜、可大规模制造的潜力。在教育和扩大参与方面，该项目将为化学、化学工程、纳米技术和材料科学与工程方面的研究生和本科生提供培训。该项目将使首席研究员能够继续推动本科生、女性和少数族裔学生参与研究的悠久历史。本项目将研究一类具有电子性能的新型有机材料，寻求取代昂贵的富勒烯材料作为有机聚合物光伏器件(OPV)的电子受体组件。富勒烯衍生物，特别是[6，6]-苯基-c61-丁酸甲酯(PCBms)，传统上主导着OPV材料的光物理、载流子动力学、共混形态和电荷传输/提取的基础研究。本项目旨在确定是否可以合理地设计和实验实现非富勒烯小分子或离散低聚电子受体材料，如四氮杂二茂铁二亚胺，并具有优于富勒烯-PCBMs的电荷光生和光伏性能。该项目将专注于基于三维非平面齐聚物模体的新型n型有机半导体。我们将研究新的n型低聚物的本征电子传输和电荷光生性能，并将新的受体低聚物与测试施主聚合物结合在一起，制备OPV器件，并对其形态、光伏性能和电荷传输特性进行表征。观察到的n-齐聚物/p-聚合物OPV体系的结构-性质-性能关系将被用来验证合理的分子设计方法。所提出的n型齐聚物(3D非平面和非球形)相对于已被充分研究的富勒烯的分子几何结构的差异有望导致新的材料形态，从而提高n-齐聚物/p-聚合物共混物中的光转化，从而促进对OPV器件中电荷分离、输运和收集的基本理解。在教育和扩大参与方面，该项目将为化学、化学工程、纳米技术和材料科学与工程方面的研究生和本科生提供培训。该项目将使首席研究员能够继续推动本科生、女性和少数族裔学生参与研究的悠久历史。

Principal Investigator: Samson JenekheNumber: 1435912 Nontechnical DescriptionThe sun represents the most abundant potential source of pollution-free energy on earth. Solar cells for conversion of light to electricity based on organic polymers integrated into a photovoltaic (PV) device offer a potentially low-cost route for renewable electricity production. The proposed research will enable the development of a new generation of low-cost solar cells based on organic materials. Specifically, this project will design and synthesize of a novel class of organic materials with electronic properties that seek to replace expensive fullerene materials used as the electron acceptor component of organic polymer based solar cells. The new materials, and solar cells made from them, have the potential to be more durable, inexpensive, and manufacturable at a large scale compared to current materials for organic polymer based solar cells. With respect to education and broadening participation, the project will provide for the training of graduate and undergraduate students in chemistry, chemical engineering, nanotechnology, and materials science and engineering. The project will enable the principal investigator to continue a longstanding history of facilitating the involvement of undergraduate, women, and minority students in research. Technical DescriptionThis project will study a novel class of organic materials with electronic properties that seek to replace expensive fullerene materials used as the electron acceptor component of organic polymer based photovoltaic devices (OPVs). Fullerene derivatives, particularly [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl esters (PCBMs), have traditionally dominated fundamental studies of the photophysics, carrier dynamics, blend morphology, and charge transport/extraction for OPV materials. This project seeks to determine if non-fullerene small-molecule or discrete oligomer electron acceptor materials such as tetraazadifluoranthrene diimide can be rationally designed and experimentally realized with charge photogeneration and photovoltaic properties that are superior to fullerene-PCBMs. The project will focus on new n-type organic semiconductors based on a three-dimensional non-planar oligomer motif. The intrinsic electron transport and charge photogeneration properties of the new n-type oligomers will be investigated, and OPV devices incorporating the new acceptor oligomers with test donor polymers will be fabricated and characterized with respect to their morphology, photovoltaic performance, and charge transport properties. The observed structure-property-performance relationships of the n-oligomer/p-polymer OPV systems will be used to validate the rational molecular design approach. The difference in molecular geometry of the proposed n-type oligomers (3D non-planar and non-spherical) relative to the well-studied fullerenes is expected to result in new material morphologies that may lead to improved photoconversion in n-oligomer/p-polymer blends, and thus advance fundamental understanding of charge separation, transport, and collection in OPV devices. With respect to education and broadening participation, the project will provide for the training of graduate and undergraduate students in chemistry, chemical engineering, nanotechnology, and materials science and engineering. The project will enable the principal investigator to continue a longstanding history of facilitating the involvement of undergraduate, women, and minority students in research.