Upscaling organic and hybrid optoelectronics: synthesis, processing, and advanced characterization

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Optoelectronic devices interact with light and include LEDs and solar cells; my research program is focused on optoelectronic devices made using solution-processable materials. These include organic molecules and polymers, but also lead halide perovskites. Because they can be formulated into solution-based inks, they can be easily coated or printed; this makes device manufacture simpler and more scalable, reducing costs and energy inputs. My long-term vision is to advance organic and hybrid optoelectronic technologies from prototypes to commercial products. This proposal will bridge this gap and address issues related to upscaling through three short-term objectives: (i) develop the indophenine reaction for conjugated polymer synthesis; (ii) develop methods to control the film morphology of organic solar cells (OSCs) deposited by slot-die coating; and (iii) develop humidity-tolerant and shelf-stable inks for the slot-die coating of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). (i) Conjugated polymers via the indophenine reaction. A major barrier to the upscaling of organic electronics is the synthetic complexity of the materials. We will develop the indophenine reaction as a route to conjugated polymers. This would eliminate any need for transition metal catalysts or toxic trialkyltin reagents and significantly shorten syntheses, resulting in more scalable, cost-effective materials. (ii) Film morphology in slot-die coated OSCs. Spin coating is the de facto method of OSC fabrication but has little relevance industrially. We will develop sequential slot-die coating as a way of producing efficient OSCs and to adapt solvent vapor annealing into a scalable, online process to fine-tune the film morphology. In situ and operando UV/vis and x-ray scattering methodologies will be developed to assess and monitor changes in film morphology. (iii) Humidity-tolerant perovskite inks. The record efficiencies of PSCs have been achieved with the help of glovebox-integrated spin coaters, but environmental controls are often more difficult to achieve with more scalable coating methods. We seek to understand how environmental factors impact the performance of slot-die coated PSCs and to develop humidity-tolerant perovskite inks with long shelf lives. OSCs and PSCs promise to disrupt the solar industry, combining efficiency with rapid, scalable manufacturing processes, cost-effective materials, and shorter energy payback times. The wide-scale deployment of cheap, efficient solar modules would bolster efforts to reduce Canada's reliance on fossil fuels and fight climate change, while simultaneously generating new Canadian jobs in their manufacture and installation. But these benefits will only be realized if OSCs and PSCs can make the transition from laboratory prototypes to competitive commercial products. This proposal will bridge this gap and will help ensure that these environmental and socio-economic benefits become a reality.