Thiophene-based copolymers synthesized by electropolymerization for application as hole transport layer in organic solar cells

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Despina Triantou - , National Technical University of Athens (Author)
  • Spyridon Soulis - , National Technical University of Athens (Author)
  • Sofia Koureli - , National Technical University of Athens (Author)
  • Antonietta De Sio - , University of Oldenburg (Author)
  • Elizabeth Von Hauff - , University of Freiburg (Author)

Abstract

Electrically conducting thiophene-based copolymers were synthesized by electropolymerization. The potential range used has a strong influence on the film structure and properties. The extent of oxidation of the copolymers was determined from the ratio of the oxidation to reduction charge, Q ox/Q red. The use of wide potential range leads to reduced films, whereas the narrow range leads to partially oxidized films. The copolymers exhibit a characteristic band in UV-vis spectra at ∼ 410 nm, which shifts to higher wavelengths for the more doped material. The electrical conductivity of the copolymers was correlated to their morphology and their structure. The copolymer with higher conductivity is partially reduced, has compact morphology and higher ratio of quinoid to benzenoid rings. The energy gap of the copolymers is reversely proportional to their electrical conductivity. The optical and electrical properties of the copolymers make them very well suited for use as hole transport layers (HTL) in organic opto-electronic devices. We prepared polymer: fullerene solar cells with copolymer HTLs. The solar cell performance was tested with very encouraging initial results.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)585-592
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of applied polymer science
Volume127
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 5 Jan 2013
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • conducting polymers, copolymers, hole transport layer, polythiophene, solar cells