Poly(3-hexylthiophene)-functionalized Siloxane Nanoparticles for Organic-based Solar Cells

摘要

Significant research efforts have been focused on incorporating linear conjugated polymers (LCPs) to variety of nanoparticles' surfaces to enhance not only a optical response but also to improve guidable self-assembly properties. Among such nanostructures, silsesquioxanes (SSQ) have provided a rich platform for the covalent attachment of polymers, macromolecules, and dendrimers for variety of applications in microelectronics. For example, these organic/inorganic hybrid structures have been incorporated into organic light emitting materials to improve thermal and color stabilities, brightness, and quantum efficiencies. However, to the best of our knowledge, the incorporation of SSQ into organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials has not been yet explored well. Herein, we demonstrate tailoring a semiconducting polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) on to silsesquioxane core structure using direct hydrolysis and condensation of P3HT-trialkoxysilane. The synthetic method was developed to prepare P3HT-graft silsesquioxane nanoparticles (P3HT-SSQ). Their photovoltaic performances were also evaluated by blending with different %weight of C derivative PCBM.