Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of novel solution-processable triphenylamine-based dendrimers with sulfonyldibenzene cores

Abstract

Three conjugated dendrimers containing electron-accepting sulfonyldibenzene (SDB) cores and electron-donating triphenylamine dendrons have been synthesized through a convergent synthetic strategy without any protection/deprotection chemistry. The dendrimers were highly soluble in common organic solvents, and could form good quality optical films by spin coating. Their thermal, optical and electrical properties are manipulated by attaching different peripheral dendrons. Using these dendrimers as donors and [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as acceptor, the bulk heterojunction solar cells with a structure of ITO–PEDOT–dendrimers:PCBM–LiF–Al were fabricated. The cell based on dendrimer G0 shows a relatively high power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.34% under AM 1.5 illumination of 100 mW cm⁻².