Effect of film formation on the electronic properties of solution processed polymer optoelectronic devices.

摘要

As the global demand for low cost renewable energy sources intensifies, interest in new routes to converting solar energy to electricity is rapidly increasing. One class of solar cells which has recently inspired significant academic and industrial excitement is the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) 'plastic' solar cell. Research by a rapidly growing community of scientists across the globe is generating a steady stream of new insights into the fundamental physics, the materials design and synthesis, the BHJ film processing and morphology, and the device science and architecture.;This dissertation outlines a new approach to controlling the internal structure of solution processed BHJ solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. This approach involves using multiple solvents with differing vapor pressures to cast the active layer films so as to control the kinetics of film formation as well as the solvation environment during the transition from solution to the solid state. The discovery and investigation of the technique is discussed along with the application of the technique in polymer light emitting diodes, polymer transistors, and high efficiency polymer BHJ solar cells using a variety of novel polymeric semiconductors.