Using and Understanding Forster Resonance Energy Transfer in Organic Polymer Based Solar Cells

该项目由材料研究部（DMR）的电子与光子材料（EPM）和固态与材料化学（SSMC）项目共同资助。非技术描述：对新能源的需求很大，太阳能电池是潜在的解决方案之一。该项目旨在为开发新型高效有机太阳能电池提供科学基础，这种电池由廉价和可持续的材料制成，易于制造。具体来说，这个项目探讨了如何将额外的定制组件结合到更常见的有机太阳能电池结构中，从而影响设备的性能。这些组件已被证明可以提高太阳能电池的效率，而这项研究的重点是了解这种改进是如何发生的。阐明这些组件是如何运作的，使团队能够合理地设计新材料，将其整合到太阳能电池中。本项目有多名本科生、两名研究生和一名博士后参与，并接受了化学和材料科学方面的培训。对K-12学生的拓展包括当地学校学生访问耶鲁大学的研究实验室，以及当地学校关于太阳能电池和替代能源的讲座和示范。技术描述：本项目探索了一个假设，即在简单的二元供体/受体聚合物太阳能电池中添加一种或多种染料分子可以增加设备的光谱吸收范围，并通过促进福斯特共振能量转移（FRET）来增强激子的收获。利用超快光谱学、显微镜和广角x射线散射等一系列技术对三元和高阶器件的光物理和结构特性进行了研究，从而验证了这一假设。本课题主要研究染料分子对复合速率、光子吸收效率和器件形态的影响。这一基础材料的研究有望导致具有理想性能的新染料分子和聚合物的合理设计。

This project is jointly funded by the Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM) and the Solid State and Materials Chemistry (SSMC) Programs, both in the Division of Materials Research (DMR).Non-technical Description: There is a great need for new energy sources, and solar cells are one of the potential solutions. This project aims to provide the scientific foundation for the development of new high-efficiency organic solar cells, which are made from inexpensive and sustainable materials that are easy to manufacture. Specifically, this project explores how the incorporation of additional tailor-made components to more common organic solar cell structures affects the properties of the devices. These components have been shown to increase solar cell efficiency, and this research focusses on understanding how this improvement occurs. The elucidation of how these components operate allows the team to rationally design new materials for incorporation into solar cells. A number of undergraduates, two graduate students and one post-doctoral researcher are involved in the research project and trained in both chemistry and materials science. Outreach to K-12 students includes local school students' visiting research laboratories at Yale, as well as lectures and demonstrations at local schools about solar cells and alternative energy.Technical Description: This project explores the hypothesis that the addition of one or more types of dye molecules to simple binary donor/acceptor polymer solar cells can increase the spectral absorption range of the device and enhance exciton harvesting by facilitating Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). The hypothesis is being verified through the investigation of the photophysical and structural properties of the ternary and higher order devices using a range of techniques including ultrafast optical spectroscopy, microscopy and wide-angle X-ray scattering. The key issues addressed in this research project include the effects of the dye molecules on the recombination rate, the photon absorption efficiency, and device morphology. This fundamental materials study is expected to lead to the rational design of new dye molecules and polymers with desired properties.