Spectroscopic and Intensity Modulated Photocurrent Imaging of Polymer/Fullerene Solar Cells

Molecular spectroscopic and intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) imaging techniques are used to map morphology-dependent charge recombination in organic polymer/fullerene solar cells. IMPS uses a small (∼10%) sinusoidal modulation of an excitation light source and photocurrent responses are measured while modulation frequencies are swept over several decades (∼1 Hz–20 kHz). Solar cells consisting of either poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(2-methoxy-5-(3′-7′-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MDMO-PPV) blended with a soluble fullerene derivative, [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) are used as targets. The morphologies of these polymer/fullerene systems are distinctly different due to PCBM miscibility in various polymer conformers. IMPS responses of both blend solar cells show unique morphology-dependent charge generation, transport and extraction signatures that can be spatially correlated to microscopic variations in local composition and packing by constructing...