Zhongqiang
Wang
a,
Daisuke
Yokoyama
*a,
Xiao-Feng
Wang
a,
Ziruo
Hong
*a,
Yang
Yang
*b and
Junji
Kido
a
aResearch Center for Organic Electronics and Department of Organic Device Engineering, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan. E-mail: d_yokoyama@yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp; ziruo@yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp
bDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. E-mail: yangy@ucla.edu
First published on 23rd October 2012
In this work, tetraphenyldibenzoperiflanthene (DBP) and fullerene C70 were used to construct organic photovoltaic cells. A power conversion efficiency of 5.19% was obtained by inserting a blend layer of DBP and C70 between the two neat layers, i.e. the so-called p–i–n structure, while the bilayer cell has an efficiency of 3.56%. The significant enhancement in photocurrent was mainly ascribed to absorption of the blend film. Interestingly optical characterization revealed that DBP molecules in the blend film showed a preferable orientation parallel to the substrate surface, suggesting that anisotropic properties can be realized in vacuum deposited donor–acceptor blend films for efficient light harvesting. Photoresponse of the p–i–n cells extended into the spectral range longer than band-edge absorption of the two materials, which is clearly associated with formation of charge transfer states between the DBP donor and C70 acceptor. On the other hand, the charge transfer states cause increase of saturation current of the diodes, and thus decrease of open circuit voltage. Our results indicate that the controversial effects of such charge transfer states should be considered in organic solar cells with respect to material selection and device design.
Broader contextSolar cells provide feasible solutions to the upcoming energy crisis due to limited availability of fossil fuels, delivering electricity without any CO2 emission. From viewpoints of material selection and manufacturing technology, organic material based photovoltaic cells have the potential to convert solar power into electricity at an affordable price with minimal environmental impacts. One of the major challenges of organic photovoltaic cells in practical applications is the inferior power conversion efficiency relative to that of Si based solar cells. To promote the efficiency, it is important to understand the interaction between electron donor and acceptor molecules in organic heterojunction systems. We chose a model system using tetraphenyldibenzoperiflanthene as a donor with a rigid and co-planar conjugated backbone in combination with fullerene C70 as an acceptor. Compared to normal planar heterojunction cells, significant enhancement in photocurrent was observed from p–i–n type organic photovoltaic cells, and hence a power conversion efficiency of >5% was demonstrated. Formation of ground state charge-transfer states and molecular orientation in the donor–acceptor blend layer were observed, and correlation of ground-state charge transfer with open circuit voltage was discussed, revealing an alternative way to control the effective bandgap in organic heterojunction solar cells. |
ηEQE = ηAbs × ηED × ηCG × ηCC, |
The photon energy has to exceed the bandgap of the materials in order to facilitate the electronic transition from ground to excited states. Alternatively, it has been recognized that ground-state charge transfer states might form and have photoresponse in organic heterojunctions.4–6 Such electronic transitions are limited by the orbital overlap between donor and acceptor molecules.7 Therefore it is weak in comparison to the intrinsic absorption of individual molecules.
In a layer-by-layer structure referred to as planar heterojunction OPV cells,2 exciton generation is dominated by intrinsic absorption of both donor and acceptor layers, and thus has little to do with the interface, since planar heterojunction has minimized the donor–acceptor interface. In such a structure, the exciton dissociation was limited by the short exciton diffusion length, usually on the order of 10 nm in organic amorphous films,3 while to achieve sufficient light absorption it requires a thickness of at least 50 nm.8 The concept of bulk heterojunction was then introduced, in which donor and acceptor materials are mixed in the same layer. Exciton separation may occur everywhere throughout the bulk film due to the intimate contact between donor and acceptor molecules.9
Pioneered by Hiramoto et al.,10 a donor–acceptor blend film can be inserted between donor and acceptor layers, resulting in a p–i–n architecture.11,12 Such an architecture greatly enhances exciton collection via using a blend film consisting of donor and acceptor molecules,13i.e. the i-layer, while the intrinsic donor and acceptor layers, i.e. p- and n-layers, also contribute to photoresponse via efficient charge collection. When donor and acceptor molecules are co-deposited to form a blend film, the intermolecular interaction between the donor and acceptor shall be intensified, while the interaction between the same species of molecules is depressed. As a result, intrinsic absorption bands may shift and/or narrow down.12,14 In some cases, ground-state charge transfer results in new absorption bands below the bandgaps, which would be a promising way to extend the light harvesting of organic heterojunctions.4
In this work, we investigated photovoltaic properties of p–i–n devices based on tetraphenyldibenzoperiflanthene (DBP) and C70. Taking the above-mentioned advantages of p–i–n structures, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of >5.0% was obtained from vacuum deposited devices. Comparison between the planar and bulk heterojunction clearly showed formation of charge transfer states in the blend film, which contributes to the photoresponse beyond the absorption of both DBP and C70. Furthermore the effects of the blend films on the device performance, especially open circuit voltage (Voc), are discussed. We also observed anisotropic optical properties from the DBP:C70 blend films due to horizontal orientation of DBP molecules.
Fig. 1 (a) (Top) Molecular structures of DBP and C70 and (bottom) aspect ratio of DBP and C70 molecules. The optimized structures of each single molecule were obtained by the B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculation. Note that this figure shows the difference in the molecular sizes, not the accurate aggregation structure in the co-deposited film. (b) Absorbance of DBP (red) and C70 (black) with a thickness of 10 nm on glass substrates. |
Fig. 2 (a) Device architecture of the p–i–n photovoltaic cells, i.e. ITO/DBP (10 nm)/DBP:C70 (1:X, Y nm)/C70 (30 nm)/BCP (10 nm)/Al (100 nm) and (b) energy diagram of the photovoltaic cells. |
As shown in Table 1, high Jsc was observed to be >9.0 mA cm−2, when the D–A blend, i.e. the i-layer, was introduced, except for the case of 2:1 D/A ratio. A D/A ratio of 1:2 offered an optimal PCE of 5.19%. Thus we fabricated a bilayer reference cell that had the same thickness of photoactive layers, i.e. 20 nm DBP and 50 nm C70. The bilayer reference device showed Voc, short circuit current (Jsc), and FF of 0.91 V, 5.87 mA cm−2 and 67%, respectively, delivering a PCE of 3.56%. The major limitation to PCE is the relatively low Jsc of 5.87 mA cm−2. In the optimal cell having a D/A ratio of 1:2, while Voc and FF were 0.86 V and 59%, respectively, slightly lower than those of the reference cell, Jsc reached 10.26 mA cm−2. It is obvious that the 2:1 ratio based device showed very low Jsc according to Fig. 3(a), which can be ascribed to inferior carrier mobility.3
Ratios | J sc (mA cm−2) | V oc (V) | FF (%) | PCE% |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bilayer | 5.87 | 0.91 | 67 | 3.56 |
2:1 | 4.17 | 0.89 | 47 | 1.73 |
1:1 | 9.31 | 0.88 | 50 | 4.08 |
1:2 | 10.26 | 0.86 | 59 | 5.19 |
1:3 | 9.87 | 0.83 | 59 | 4.78 |
1:4 | 9.89 | 0.86 | 56 | 4.78 |
1:8 | 10.02 | 0.87 | 56 | 4.85 |
1:16 | 9.97 | 0.87 | 49 | 4.20 |
Fig. 3 (a) J–V characteristics of the device (ITO/DBP(10 nm)/DBP:C70(30 nm)/C70(30 nm)/BCP(10 nm)/Al) with different D/A ratios under 100 mW cm−2 illumination of the AM1.5G solar spectrum. (b) Log-scale EQE of OPV devices with different D/A ratios. The bilayer reference cell has a structure of ITO/DBP (20 nm)/C70 (50 nm)/BCP (10 nm)/Al. |
Therefore VASE was used to investigate the anisotropic property of DBP and C70 co-deposited films. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of the blend films were analyzed. X-ray diffraction measurement showed no sign of any crystalline structures in both DBP neat films and the DBP:C70 blend, suggesting high accuracy of VASE data. We took the optimal ratio of 1:2 as a representative as shown in Fig. 4(a). The refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k) in the horizontal direction (no and ko) are higher than those in the vertical direction (ne and ke), respectively. In particular, there are two distinct anisotropies in the extinction coefficient at around 350 and 615 nm, which correspond to absorption peaks of DBP. It shows considerable horizontal orientation of DBP molecular planes even in the blend film. The rigid π-conjugated plane caused the deposited DBP film with high extinction coefficient along the direction normal to the substrates.
Fig. 4 (a) Optical constants of the 1:2 DBP:C70 blend film. Red solid and dotted lines show ordinary (horizontal) and extraordinary (vertical) refractive indices (no and ne), respectively, and blue solid and dotted lines show ordinary (horizontal) and extraordinary (vertical) extinction coefficients (ko and ke), respectively. (b) Experimental and simulated EQE curves of the optimal device of ITO/DBP (10 nm)/DBP:C70 (30 nm)/C70 (30 nm)/BCP (10 nm)/Al. |
For comparison, anisotropic properties of series samples, including the neat DBP film and the blend films of 1:2 and 1:4, are shown in Fig. S1.† Anisotropic behaviors of the blend films are not as significant as those of the neat DBP film. no and ne have very little difference, and k values drop down dramatically in the blend films. These are mainly due to the dilution effects of C70. However it is noteworthy to point out that the ko/ke ratio at 615 nm in the blend films is still as high as that in the neat film. It indicates that the horizontal orientation of DBP molecules in the blend film is almost as good as that in the neat film. Co-deposited C70 molecules hardly disturbed the orientation of DBP ones. See Fig. S1† for further discussion.
Taking the anisotropic properties into account, we calculated EQE of the optimal device with 1:2 ratio using a reported method.20 2D absorption profiles of the OPV device under AM1.5G illumination are given in Fig. S2.† It is assumed that exciton and charge collection efficiencies are 100% in the blend film, because of complete photoluminescence quenching of DBP in the presence of C70, and negligible recombination indicated by high FF and large shunt resistance of the OPV cells. Fig. 4(b) shows the experimental and simulated EQE using no and ko data. The simulated EQE is close to the measured EQE, especially from 500 nm to 650 nm, mainly corresponding to absorption of DBP. These results show high molecular orientation in vacuum-deposited D–A blend films of OPV cells.22 Note that DBP anisotropy is still similar to that in neat DBP films. Here we address the anisotropic properties of the DBP:C70 blend films only via the VASE method. It has obvious potential, if the alignment of acceptor molecules other than fullerenes can be made for more favorable light harvesting and charge transport.15 A comprehensive work recently reported by Rand et al. explores the important role of molecular orientation in OPV cells, promoting Voc, Jsc and FF spontaneously.23
It is noted that obvious photoresponse ranging between 700 nm and 850 nm can be clearly seen from p–i–n cells with varied D/A ratios. In contrast, EQE of the bilayer device almost reached zero at 720 nm. Therefore, such photoresponse could not be simply ascribed to absorption of either donor or acceptor.
We then compared the absorption of the DBP/C70 bilayer structure and the DBP:C70 blend film on glass substrates as shown in Fig. 5(a). The absorption of 10 nm DPB (red line) is negligible beyond 700 nm, and 40 nm C70 (black line) has much weaker absorption than that of 50 nm DBP:C70 film of 1:4 ratio (green line). The difference between the two absorption curves of blend and C70 films gives rise to a broad band (blue line). Therefore it represents a new absorption, in addition to intrinsic absorption of DBP and C70.
Fig. 5 (a) Absorbance of films of C70 (40 nm, black), DBP (10 nm, red), the DBP:C70 blend film (1:4, 50 nm, green), as well as the absorbance difference between the blend film and the sum of neat C70 and DBP (blue) and (b) normalized EQE from OPV cells (ITO/DBP (10 nm)/DBP:C70 (1:2, Y nm)/C70 (30 nm)/BCP (10 nm)/Al) with different thicknesses of the i-layers. The i-layer thickness (Y nm) was changed from 0 nm to 60 nm. |
We chose 1:2 ratio of the blend film in p–i–n structure OPV cells to study the new absorption band, since it demonstrated strongest photoresponse in the long wavelength range among all the cells shown in Fig. 3(b). The thickness was tuned from 0 nm, i.e. a bilayer cell, up to 60 nm. The device parameters are summarized in Table 2, and J–V characteristics in light and dark states are shown in Fig. S4.† It is clear that introduction of the blend layer between the two neat layers has a dramatic influence on the device performance. Increasing the i-layer thickness results in a significant increase in Jsc and reduction in FF. Improvement of Jsc comes from absorption of the i-layer. However, FFs decrease dramatically from 69% to 49%, because the i-layer has carrier mobilities lower than those in the neat films, and hence charge recombination becomes more severe. As indicated in Fig. S4(a),† in the fourth quadrant where the cells approach the flat band condition, i.e. Voc, charge collection becomes very sensitive to bias voltage. When the thicknesses of the i-layer are 5 nm and 10 nm, the increase in Jsc is not sufficient to compensate the loss in FF. PCE thus dropped down compared to that of the bilayer device. Jsc then took the role to enhance PCE dramatically, when the thicknesses of the blend films were 20 nm and 30 nm. For the device having 30 nm thick blend layer, Jsc, in comparison to that of the planar heterojunction cell, was improved by over 50%, which was attributed to absorption and exciton collection of the blend film.5 Meanwhile, the FF of the device decreased by about 20%, which is attributed to the charge carrier recombination in the blend film.24 Then, PCE decreased when the thickness of the blend film reached 60 nm.
X (nm) | PCE% | J sc (mA cm−2) | FF (%) | V oc (V) | J 0 (mA cm−2) | n |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 4.16 | 6.70 | 69 | 0.91 | 2.23 × 10−11 | 1.38 |
5 | 3.97 | 6.85 | 64 | 0.90 | 7.09 × 10−10 | 1.59 |
10 | 4.04 | 7.83 | 58 | 0.88 | 1.37 × 10−8 | 1.85 |
20 | 4.53 | 9.13 | 56 | 0.89 | 8.71 × 10−9 | 1.78 |
30 | 5.19 | 10.26 | 59 | 0.86 | 1.68 × 10−8 | 1.65 |
60 | 3.49 | 9.39 | 43 | 0.86 | 2.62 × 10−8 | 1.89 |
Normalized EQE data in Fig. 5(b) show a clear trend that the photoresponse in the long wavelength range increases with the thickness of the blend film. See real EQE data given in Fig. S5.† Considering the additional absorption band revealed in Fig. 5(a), we confirmed that the photoresponse lower than the bandgap of photoactive materials is due to the formation of charge transfer states between DBP and C70. On one hand, the charge transfer absorption contributes to photocurrent by ∼5%. On the other hand, it should be addressed that Voc decreases because of the insertion of the blend films, and varies with the blending ratio, as summarized in Tables 1 and 2.
From Table 1, a Voc of 0.91 V was observed from the reference cell, while Voc was reduced for all p–i–n photovoltaic cells. With increasing the thickness of the i-layers from 0 nm to 60 nm, Voc decreases from 0.91 V to 0.86 V. In such p–i–n cells, only the thickness of the blend films was changed, while the electrical contacts essentially remained the same. It is well-known that Voc is determined by the offset between HOMO of the donor and LUMO of the acceptor.25 However in our case, absorption of charge transfer states in the blend films shall be responsible for the reduction in Voc.
The relationship between charge transfer absorption and Voc can also be seen from EQE data in Fig. 3(b). The curves in log scale suggest that there is an optimal blend ratio for the formation of charge transfer states. From the 1:2 cell, we observed both strong photoresponse in long wavelength, and relatively low Voc. The cell based on 1:16 ratio has little photoresponse in the same range, though its PCE is still competitive.26 These results indicate that sufficient contact between DBP and C70 molecules enables effective formation of charge transfer states.
(1) |
(2) |
Considering Jph = 0 in the dark state, J0 was then derived via fitting the dark J–V curves using eqn (2), and the resulting values are listed in Table 2. J0 of the reference cell is 2.23 × 10−11 mA cm−2, and 5 nm blend film boosts J0 up by more than 1 order of magnitude. Further increase of the blend film thickness results in larger J0 on the order of 10−8 mA cm−2. It can be clearly seen that J0 increased with the thickness of the i-layer, suggesting that the increase in J0 is associated with the formation of charge transfer states.
According to the correlation between Voc and J0:33
(3) |
It shows that when J0 increases, Voc should decrease. Since the thickness of blend films influences J0, and then J0 affects Voc, the correlation between the thickness of the i-layer and Voc becomes clear.
The charge transfer absorption in the long wavelength range actually narrows down the effective bandgap of the heterojunction.25,34,35 It could be a possible reason for reduction of Voc. Such a bandgap shrinking normally occurs in inorganic semiconductors at elevated temperatures.36 The concentration of thermal activated carriers increases with temperature. It causes increase in J0, i.e. the number of carriers that can be swept out under reverse bias at equilibrium, and intensifies the recombination of minority carriers under light illumination. As a result, Voc decreases.
In the case of organic planar heterojunctions, the effective bandgap is determined by the photoactive materials. For the bilayer reference cell, the interface between the donor and acceptor plays a minor role due to limited D–A contact. Voc is determined by the difference between HOMO of the donor and LUMO of the acceptor.37 In the i-layer of p–i–n cells, donor and acceptor molecules are mixed such that the D–A intermolecular interaction becomes strong, triggering formation of charge transfer states, and thus decrease of the effective bandgap. It then causes strong thermal activated electron transition, which is responsible for increase of J0. Hence, Voc from D–A blend films deviates from the HOMO–LUMO difference.38,39
Footnote |
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c2ee22952h |
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013 |