Donor-Acceptor Rod-Coil Diblock Copolymer based on P3HT containing fullerene (C¬60)

•    Low cost, scalable approach •    Enhanced performance of BHJ material •    Improved power conversion efficiency •    Improved performance OPVs

•    Organic photovoltaic devices •    Organic photovoltaic synthesis •    Solar cellsThis technology is available for licensing. Click here to request more information.

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed a novel method for the synthesis of a well-defined donor–acceptor rod–coil diblock copolymer based on P3HT containing C60 through a living polymerization strategy.  Despite the bulky nature of the rigid C60 units in the coil blocks, the observation of nanofibrilar morphology with corresponding enhancement in performance of BHJ material is demonstrated. The novel diblock copolymers play a critical role in tuning the device morphology, leading to stabilization of the device structure against thermal phase integration.

Patent Number: US8211996B2
Application Number: US2009592486A
Inventor: Yang, Changduk | Wudl, Fred
Priority Date: 1 Dec 2008
Priority Number: US8211996B2
Application Date: 25 Nov 2009
Publication Date: 3 Jul 2012
IPC Current: C08G007500
US Class: 528380 | 368205 | 423445B | 505460 | 528373 | 528377
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
Title: Well-defined donor-acceptor rod-coil diblock copolymer based on P3HT containing C60
Usefulness: Well-defined donor-acceptor rod-coil diblock copolymer based on P3HT containing C60
Summary: A diblock copolymer used for casting into thin film useful for fabrication of organic photovoltaic device, particularly bulk-heterojunction solar cell (claimed).
Novelty: New diblock copolymer used for casting into thin film useful for fabrication of organic photovoltaic device, particularly bulk-heterojunction solar cell

Environmental/Green Technology

Solar Cell

8211996

Background

Due to the increased demand for renewable energy sources, the manufacturing of solar cells and photovoltaic devices has been steadily progressing in recent years. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices based on pi-conjugated polymer and fullerene composites, so-called ‘‘bulk heterojunction (BHJ)’’, offer an intrinsically low-cost, scalable approach to photovoltaic technology. Blends of thiophene-based polymers and fullerene composites are important materials used for fabricating BHJ solar cells. Recently, synthetic effort has focused on improving the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) by means of development of low band-gap polymers and fullerene derivatives. Rod–coil block copolymers containing a rigid conjugated polymer segment as a rod block possess the ability to self-organize and be used to optimize the morphology in OPV devices. Reports on rod–coil block copolymers based on P3HT rods and polyolefin coils by using living radical polymerization techniques have established the existence of nanofibrilar structures in the solid state.  Historically, donor–acceptor rod–coil diblock copolymers containing C60 as the active layer in solar cells have been limited by the difficulty in removing unreacted C60.

 

Additional Technologies by these Inventors

• Thermally Re-mendable Cross-linked Polymers

Tech ID/UC Case

22164/2009-294-0

Related Cases

2009-294-0

USA

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