Molecular and Macromolecular Organic Acceptors for Photovoltaic Applications

CBET-0756148 Li太阳是人类可持续能源的终极来源。 工程创造性和成本效益的方法来利用这种能源到有用的工作将极大地有利于我们和减少（消除）我们对化石燃料的依赖在未来。太阳能电池在这方面有很大的帮助。 有机光致发光材料由于其易于适用于高通量技术，特别是卷对卷印刷，因此有望成为大多数无机太阳能电池的低成本和更稳健的替代品。 然而，在将有机太阳能电池全面推向市场之前，还有几个挑战需要解决。 这些挑战包括寿命和效率。 在这个场地，ASU研究人员建议设计新材料并优化其设备性能。在这方面，研究人员建议开发一系列稳定的寡聚亚苯基二酰亚胺分子以及用作有机太阳能电池电子受体的高分子材料。 大分子结构将为有机太阳能电池的低成本溶液基加工提供一个窗口。 将对材料进行调整，以回答以下问题：a）对于具有较长寿命的器件需要什么热性能要求，B）什么规定以及如何增强这种材料中的电化学稳定性，c）如何扩展吸收范围以将更多的太阳光谱利用为太阳能电池操作所需的有用电荷，以及d）有助于增加激子扩散长度的基本材料和器件设计规则是什么。 这是一个高度跨学科的合作。 这种方法将导致合成和设备组之间的不断相互作用，这将加快发现过程。 研究生将学习如何与具有不同但互补背景的不同团队互动。 本科生将被介绍到新材料和设备优化在创建可靠和高效的太阳能电池的重要性。 这也将使他们在大学生涯的早期就接触到当代的研究课题，从而加强他们的教育培训。 这些方案执行机构将帮助开发与能源促进可持续性有关的教育单元，名为“太阳能发电”，培训本科实习生每年访问70多所学校，并向20 000多名学生和教师作数百次演讲。 这反过来又会增强他们对科学和工程的欣赏，从而增加在大学一级招募更多美国国民进入技术领域的机会。

CBET-0756148 LiThe Sun is an ultimate source of sustainable energy for the humankind. Engineering creative and cost efficient ways to harness this energy into useful work will tremendously benefit us and decreases (to eliminate) our dependence on fossil fuel in the future. Solar cells can help greatly in this regard. Organic photovoltaics promise a low cost and more robust alternative to most inorganic solar cells due to their facile suitability to high throughput techniques, especially roll-to-roll printing. However, there are several challenges to be solved before a full scale market introduction of organic solar cells can take place. Such challenges include lifetime and efficiency. In this venue, the ASU investigators propose to engineer new materials and optimize their device performance. In this regard, the investigators propose to develop a range of stable oligorylene diimide molecules as well as macromolecular materials for use as electron acceptors in organic solar cells. The macromolecular structures will provide a window to low cost solution-based processing of organic solar cells. The materials will be tuned in order to answer questions such as: a) what thermal property requirement is needed for devices with longer lifetime, b) what dictates, and how to enhance, the electrochemical stability in such materials, c) how to extend the absorption range to harness more of the solar spectrum into useful charges needed for the operation of solar cells, and d) what are the basic materials and device design rules that will assist in increasing the exciton diffusion length. This is a highly interdisciplinary collaboration. Such approach will lead to constant interactions between the synthesis and device groups which will expedite the discovery process. Graduate students will learn how to interact with different teams having different but complimentary backgrounds. Undergraduate students will be introduced to the importance of new materials and device optimization in creating reliable and efficient solar cells. This will also expose them to contemporary topics in research early on in their university career thus enhancing their educational training. The PIs will help to develop educational modules associated with energy for sustainability, entitled Solar Electricity, which trains undergraduate interns to visit more than 70 schools annually and give several hundred presentations to over 20,000 students and teachers. This in turn will enhance their appreciation to science and engineering, thus increasing the chances of recruiting more US nationals to technical areas at the university level.