Characterization of spray-coating methods for conjugated polymer blend thin films

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)
234 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We examine the characteristics and functionality of conjugated polymer thin films, based on blends of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl-co-bis-N,NN'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N'-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine) (PFB) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT), using a spray-coating deposition technique suitable for large areas. The morphological properties of these blend films are studied in detail by atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods, showing that favourable results, in terms of layer deposition rate and uniformity, can be achieved using a 5:1 blend of o-dichlorobenzene and chlorobenzene as the solvent medium. A photoluminescence quenching efficiency of above 80 % is also observed in such blend films. As a feasibility study, prototypical photovoltaic devices exhibit open circuit voltages of up to 1.0 V under testing, and solar power conversion efficiencies in the 0.1-1 % order of magnitude; metrics which are comparable with those reported for spin-coated cells of the same active blend and device architecture.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4279-4287
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Materials Science
Volume49
Issue number12
Early online date04 Mar 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Jun 2014

Keywords

  • polymer blends
  • polymer films
  • conjugated polymers
  • deposition methods
  • structures
  • Performance
  • Transistors
  • Efficiency
  • Photovoltaics
  • Organic Solar-Cells

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Characterization of spray-coating methods for conjugated polymer blend thin films'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this