SusChEM: Designing Small-Molecule Replacements for Fullerenes in Organic Photovoltaics

主要研究者：Samson Jenekhe编号：1435912非技术性描述太阳是地球上最丰富的潜在无污染能源。 基于集成到光伏（PV）器件中的有机聚合物的用于将光转换为电的太阳能电池为可再生电力生产提供了潜在的低成本途径。 拟议的研究将使开发新一代基于有机材料的低成本太阳能电池成为可能。 具体而言，该项目将设计和合成一类具有电子特性的新型有机材料，以取代昂贵的富勒烯材料，用作有机聚合物太阳能电池的电子受体成分。与目前用于有机聚合物基太阳能电池的材料相比，新材料和由它们制成的太阳能电池具有更耐用、更便宜和可大规模制造的潜力。 在教育和扩大参与方面，该项目将为研究生和本科生提供化学、化学工程、纳米技术和材料科学与工程方面的培训。 该项目将使首席研究员继续促进本科生，妇女和少数民族学生参与研究的长期历史。技术说明本项目将研究一类具有电子特性的新型有机材料，以取代昂贵的富勒烯材料作为有机聚合物基光伏器件（OPV）的电子受体组件。富勒烯衍生物，特别是[6，6]-苯基-C61-丁酸甲酯（PCBM），传统上占主导地位的基础研究的光物理，载流子动力学，共混物形态，和电荷传输/提取的OPV材料。 该项目旨在确定非富勒烯小分子或离散低聚物电子受体材料，如四氮杂二荧蒽二酰亚胺，是否可以合理设计和实验实现，其电荷光生和光伏性能上级富勒烯-PCBM。 该项目将专注于基于三维非平面低聚物基序的新型n型有机半导体。 将研究新的n型低聚物的固有电子传输和电荷光生特性，并且将新的受体低聚物与测试供体聚合物结合的OPV器件将被制造并表征其形态、光伏性能和电荷传输特性。所观察到的n-低聚物/p-聚合物OPV体系的结构-性质-性能关系将用于验证合理的分子设计方法。 相对于充分研究的富勒烯，所提出的n型低聚物（3D非平面和非球形）的分子几何形状的差异预计将导致新的材料形态，其可能导致n-低聚物/p-聚合物共混物中的光转换改善，从而推进对OPV器件中的电荷分离、传输和收集的基本理解。 在教育和扩大参与方面，该项目将为研究生和本科生提供化学、化学工程、纳米技术和材料科学与工程方面的培训。 该项目将使首席研究员继续促进本科生，妇女和少数民族学生参与研究的长期历史。

Principal Investigator: Samson JenekheNumber: 1435912 Nontechnical DescriptionThe sun represents the most abundant potential source of pollution-free energy on earth. Solar cells for conversion of light to electricity based on organic polymers integrated into a photovoltaic (PV) device offer a potentially low-cost route for renewable electricity production. The proposed research will enable the development of a new generation of low-cost solar cells based on organic materials. Specifically, this project will design and synthesize of a novel class of organic materials with electronic properties that seek to replace expensive fullerene materials used as the electron acceptor component of organic polymer based solar cells. The new materials, and solar cells made from them, have the potential to be more durable, inexpensive, and manufacturable at a large scale compared to current materials for organic polymer based solar cells. With respect to education and broadening participation, the project will provide for the training of graduate and undergraduate students in chemistry, chemical engineering, nanotechnology, and materials science and engineering. The project will enable the principal investigator to continue a longstanding history of facilitating the involvement of undergraduate, women, and minority students in research. Technical DescriptionThis project will study a novel class of organic materials with electronic properties that seek to replace expensive fullerene materials used as the electron acceptor component of organic polymer based photovoltaic devices (OPVs). Fullerene derivatives, particularly [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl esters (PCBMs), have traditionally dominated fundamental studies of the photophysics, carrier dynamics, blend morphology, and charge transport/extraction for OPV materials. This project seeks to determine if non-fullerene small-molecule or discrete oligomer electron acceptor materials such as tetraazadifluoranthrene diimide can be rationally designed and experimentally realized with charge photogeneration and photovoltaic properties that are superior to fullerene-PCBMs. The project will focus on new n-type organic semiconductors based on a three-dimensional non-planar oligomer motif. The intrinsic electron transport and charge photogeneration properties of the new n-type oligomers will be investigated, and OPV devices incorporating the new acceptor oligomers with test donor polymers will be fabricated and characterized with respect to their morphology, photovoltaic performance, and charge transport properties. The observed structure-property-performance relationships of the n-oligomer/p-polymer OPV systems will be used to validate the rational molecular design approach. The difference in molecular geometry of the proposed n-type oligomers (3D non-planar and non-spherical) relative to the well-studied fullerenes is expected to result in new material morphologies that may lead to improved photoconversion in n-oligomer/p-polymer blends, and thus advance fundamental understanding of charge separation, transport, and collection in OPV devices. With respect to education and broadening participation, the project will provide for the training of graduate and undergraduate students in chemistry, chemical engineering, nanotechnology, and materials science and engineering. The project will enable the principal investigator to continue a longstanding history of facilitating the involvement of undergraduate, women, and minority students in research.