Doping and Morphological Control at the Semiconductor-Electrode Interface in Organic Solar Cells

院校：宾夕法尼亚州立大学 有机太阳能电池半导体-电极界面的掺杂和形貌控制智能优势有机聚合物基光伏（OPV）电池是一种潜在的低成本太阳能-电力转换技术，与其他太阳能电池技术相比具有独特的优势，如灵活性，重量轻，易于加工。 然而，OPV器件的太阳能转换效率低，仍然面临许多技术挑战。 例如，OPV器件在电容器-电极界面处遭受电阻损耗。 用欧姆接触制造有机太阳能电池？其中接口是非整流的，电阻损耗可以忽略不计？具有改善填充因子、短路电流和可能更高的开路电压的潜力，所有这些都具有将有机光致发光器件的效率提高到其理论极限15%的潜力。 目前用于有机光致发光的接触方法依赖于调节电极的功函数以匹配构成光活性层的电子供体和受体的传输能级。 相比之下，无机器件依赖于电极界面附近的半导体的位点特异性掺杂，以通过减小势垒宽度来促进穿过电荷提取势垒的隧穿。 该研究将设计有机太阳能电池中的有机半导体-电极界面，特别关注开发一种类似于无机半导体中的特定位置掺杂的方法，通过将大分子掺杂剂以亚单层覆盖共价连接到电极表面。该研究将合成可以锚到电极材料的p型和n型半导体聚合物。 通过这种方法，假设可以调节阴极和阳极附近的有机半导体的电性质，以促进有效的电荷提取，并探索建立欧姆接触对太阳能电池器件性能的影响。 通过调节聚合物掺杂剂的分子结构，还可以控制有机半导体在电极表面上的润湿行为，以控制聚合物相聚集，从而防止分流路径并促进进一步的电荷提取。 有人建议，掺杂剂在电极接触的本地化可能会成为一个广泛适用的战略，为最大限度地减少损失的有机太阳能电池的半导体电极界面。更广泛的影响该建议的教育和推广活动，寻求推出一个新的倡议，在宾夕法尼亚州州立大学题为？阳光，能源，聚合物？（Sun-E-Poly），这将作为当前和未来在研究，教育和推广工作中的核心点，以OPV为中心。 本科生，妇女和代表性不足的少数民族将通过目前的宾州州立大学软材料和化学能量存储和转换NSF研究经验的本科生（REU）网站程序整体参与拟议的研究活动。

Institution: Pennsylvania State Univ University ParkTitle: Doping and Morphological Control at the Semiconductor-Electrode Interface in Organic Solar CellsIntellectual MeritOrganic polymer-based photovoltaic (OPV) cells are a potentially low-cost sunlight-to-electricity conversion technology with unique advantages compared to other solar cell technologies, such as flexibility, light weight, and facile processing. However, OPV devices suffer from low solar energy conversion efficiency and still face many technical challenges. For example, OPV devices suffer from resistive losses at the semiconductor-electrode interface. Building organic solar cells with ohmic contacts ? where the interface is non-rectifying with negligible resistive losses ? has the potential for improved fill factors, short-circuit currents, and perhaps higher open-circuit voltages, all of which have the potential to increase the efficiency of organic photovoltaics toward their theoretical limit of 15%. Current contact methodologies for organic photovoltaics rely on tuning the work function of the electrodes to match the transport energy levels of the electron donors and acceptors which make up the photoactive layer. In contrast, inorganic devices rely on site-specific doping of the semiconductor near the electrode interface to promote tunneling through the charge extraction barrier by reducing the barrier width. The proposed research will engineer organic semiconductor-electrode interfaces in organic solar cells, focusing specifically on developing a methodology analogous to site-specific doping in inorganic semiconductors by covalently linking macromolecular dopants at sub-monolayer coverage to electrode surfaces.The proposed research will synthesize p-type and n-type semiconducting polymers that can anchor to electrode materials. Though this approach, it is hypothesized that the electrical properties of organic semiconductors near the cathode and anode can be tuned to promote efficient charge extraction and explore the consequences of building ohmic contacts on solar cell device performance. By tuning the molecular structure of polymer dopants, the wetting behavior of organic semiconductors on electrode surfaces can be also controlled to control polymer phase aggregation and hence prevent shunt paths and promote further charge extraction. It is proposed that the localization of dopants at the electrode contacts may become a widely-applicable strategy for the minimization of losses at the semiconductor-electrode interface of organic solar cells.Broader ImpactsThe proposal education and outreach activities seek to launch a new initiative at Pennsylvania State University entitled ?Sunlight, Energy, Polymers? (Sun-E-Poly), which will serve as a nucleation point for current and future efforts in research, education, and outreach centered on OPV across campus. Undergraduate students, women, and under-represented minorities will be integrally involved in the proposed research activities through the current Penn State Soft Materials and Chemical Energy Storage and Conversion NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site programs.