Issue 34, 2022

Insights into the chemistry of vapor phase infiltration for imaging non-fullerene acceptors

Abstract

Vapor phase infiltration (VPI) processes offer a unique method to form hybrid materials by growing inorganic species inside polymer matrices from gaseous precursors. The VPI process follows three main stages: sorption of the gas phase precursors to the polymer matrix, their diffusion and entrapment in the matrix, and the chemical reaction. The distinct entrapment character of the precursors in different matrices can be utilized for imaging organic blends by selectively “staining” one component of the blend and imaging a cross-section in electron microscopy. Organic solar cell (OSC) films are an excellent platform to study VPI “staining” because they are composed of organic blends, a polymeric electron donor, and a small molecule electron acceptor (SMA), in a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) morphology. Currently, OSCs based on non-fullerene acceptors (NFA) exhibit high efficiencies making them the focal point and most promising for future technology development. Yet, the phase behavior and intricate details of the film morphologies are not fully understood. In this study we develop a method for direct imaging of NFA-based OSC blend morphology. We focus on the most investigated NFA, 3,9-bis(2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2′,3′-d′]-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b′]dithiophene(ITIC) and apply different diethylzinc VPI protocols that reveal a strong chemical reaction between diethylzinc (DEZ), the gaseous precursor, and ITIC. This reaction leads to a unique staining mechanism with distinct feature characteristics. A similar reaction is also demonstrated for other NFAs that are currently popular in high-efficiency OSCs, confirming the suitability of this new methodology for imaging OSCs. These results give insights not only for imaging OSCs but also for developing VPI-based staining and imaging of other functional organic blends.

Graphical abstract: Insights into the chemistry of vapor phase infiltration for imaging non-fullerene acceptors

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 apr 2022
Accepted
22 júl 2022
First published
08 aug 2022

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2022,10, 12428-12435

Author version available

Insights into the chemistry of vapor phase infiltration for imaging non-fullerene acceptors

O. Nahor, A. Cohen and G. L. Frey, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2022, 10, 12428 DOI: 10.1039/D2TC01643E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements