Effect of blend composition on binary organic solar cells using a low band gap polymer

This report investigates the influence of the solution blend composition of binary bulk heterojunction organic solar cells composed of poly[2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl[4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl]] (PCPDTBT) and [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM). The blend polymer: fullerene composition was varied from 1:1 (50 wt% PC₇₁BM) to 2:9 (82 wt% PC₇₁BM). Increasing the amount of polymer in the blend results in the greatest overall absorption, as the donor material PCPDTBT is the main contributor to absorption. However, high polymer content leads to poor photovoltaic performance. For this material combination, the optimum blend polymer: fullerene composition was found to be 2:7. Increasing the fullerene content in the blend led to a significant improvement in the internal quantum efficiency of devices. This was correlated with an increase of the electron mobility, as the fullerene content was increased. Improved electron transport, leading to more balanced transport between electrons and holes, significantly improved the short circuit current density (J_sc) and fill factor (FF).