Collaborative Research: Efficient Organic Solar Cells by Control of Nanostructures

0524295您的智慧功绩。开发高效的有机太阳能电池需要新的有机组件，需要高效且具有成本效益的纳米级组装这些组件的方法，以及对电荷传输的更好理解，这种电池将与化石燃料发电技术相比具有成本竞争力。为了实现这些特性，有机材料中的光伏效应依赖于三个基本过程：1)吸收光子以产生束缚的电子-空穴对(激子)，2)激子的解离，以及3)电子和空穴分别传输到阴极和阳极，以产生光电流/电压。设计新的分子组件和为这些组件量身定做的新的加工方法，以及加深对电荷传输过程的理解，以便制造出廉价和高效的有机太阳能电池，仍然是一个巨大的挑战。这项提议的目的是利用新的富勒烯及其相关的面内金属富勒烯衍生物来制备具有前所未有的组成梯度控制的体相异质结器件，并研究这些器件中的电子和空穴输运，以实现最大的光转换效率。提出了两个具体的目标-1)测量和模拟具有定制组成梯度的光伏薄膜中的电荷传输；2)制造、表征和优化高效的有机太阳能电池器件。与薄膜中量身定制的组成梯度相匹配的电子给体和受体的新组合有望带来高性能、具有更高光电转换效率的有机光伏器件。更广泛的影响。低成本、高效率的有机太阳能电池的发展将带来大量的应用，将对社会产生重大的好处。这项研究还将促进发现，同时促进高中、本科生和研究生的教与学。这包括：1)为弗吉尼亚理工大学物理学会的学生向弗吉尼亚州西南部的农村高中推广纳米科学演示，2)与弗吉尼亚理工大学研究生办公室协调从代表性不足的群体中招募研究生，将其纳入高度跨学科的研究计划，以及3)将这项研究的结果纳入其中一名PI教授的纳米技术课程。这项研究的结果将在同行评议的期刊、多学科会议的报告、本科生座谈会、退伍军人事务部农村高中生和课程网页上广泛传播给科学界和非科学界。

0524295GuptaIntellectual Merit. New organic components, efficient and cost-effective ways of assembling these components at the nanometer length scale, and an improved understanding of charge transport are needed for the development of efficient organic solar cells that will be cost competitive with fossil fuel technology for power generation. To achieve these properties, the photovoltaic effect in organic materials relies on three fundamental processes: 1) absorption of a photon to create a bound electron-hole pair (exciton), 2) dissociation of the exciton, and 3) transport of the electron and hole to the cathode and anode, respectively, to yield the photocurrent/voltage. There still exists a significant challenge to design new molecular components and new processing methods tailored for these components as well as to develop a deeper understanding of the charge transport process so that organic solar cells that are inexpensive and efficient can be fabricated. The objective for this proposal is to employ new fullerene and related endohedral metallofullerene derivatives to fabricate bulk heterojunctions devices with unprecedented control of the composition gradient and to study electron and hole transport in these devices in order to maximize photoconversion efficiency. Two specific aims are proposed - 1) Measure and model charge transport in photovoltaic films with tailored composition gradients; and 2) Fabricate, characterize, and optimize efficient organic solar cell devices. New combinations of electron donors and acceptors that are matched with tailored composition gradients in films are expected to lead to high performance, organic photovoltaic devices with improved photoconversion efficiencies. Broader Impact. The development of low cost and efficient organic solar cells will lead to a number of applications that will have a significant benefit to society. This research will also advance discovery while promoting teaching and learning at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels. This includes: 1) development of nanoscience demonstrations for Virginia Tech's Society of Physics Students outreach programs to rural, southwestern Virginia high schools, 2) coordinated recruiting of graduate students from under-represented groups with Virginia Tech's Office of Graduate Student Recruiting into a highly interdisciplinary research program, and 3) incorporation of results from this research into a course on nanotechnology taught by one of the PIs. The results of this research will be widely disseminated to the scientific and lay communities in peer-reviewed journals and in presentations at multidisciplinary conferences, in undergraduate symposia, to rural VA high school students, and in course web pages.