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Alkylated-C-60 based soft materials: regulation of self-assembly and optoelectronic properties by chain branching

Alkylated-C-60 based soft materials: regulation of self-assembly and optoelectronic properties by chain branching Thumbnail


Abstract

Derivatization of fullerene (C60) with branched aliphatic chains softens C60-based materials and enables the formation of thermotropic liquid crystals and room temperature nonvolatile liquids. This work demonstrates that by carefully tuning parameters such as type, number and substituent position of the branched chains, liquid crystalline C60 materials with mesophase temperatures suited for photovoltaic cell fabrication and room temperature nonvolatile liquid fullerenes with tunable viscosity can be obtained. In particular, compound 1, with branched chains, exhibits a smectic liquid crystalline phase extending from 84 °C to room temperature. Analysis of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells with a ca. 100 nm active layer of compound 1 and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as an electron acceptor and an electron donor, respectively, reveals an improved performance (power conversion efficiency, PCE: 1.6 ± 0.1%) in comparison with another compound, 10 (PCE: 0.5 ± 0.1%). The latter, in contrast to 1, carries linear aliphatic chains and thus forms a highly ordered solid lamellar phase at room temperature. The solar cell performance of 1 blended with P3HT approaches that of PCBM/P3HT for the same active layer thickness. This indicates that C60 derivatives bearing branched tails are a promising class of electron acceptors in soft (flexible) photovoltaic devices.

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 16, 2013
Publication Date Jan 18, 2013
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY C
Print ISSN 2050-7526
Publisher Royal Society of Chemistry
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 1
Issue 10
Pages 1943-1951
DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/c3tc00066d
Keywords CHARGE-CARRIER MOBILITY; SOLAR-CELLS; FULLERENE DERIVATIVES; METHANOFULLERENE DERIVATIVES; PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS; ELECTRON-TRANSFER; LIQUID-CRYSTALS; SIDE-CHAINS; POLYMER; FULLEROPYRROLIDINES
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1039/c3tc00066d

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