Le projet de cette thèse consistait à élaborer de nouveaux matériaux donneurs d’électrons pour les cellules solaires organiques. Cette technologie photovoltaïque émergente en plein essor a d’ores et déjà atteint la limite d’efficacité lui permettant d’être industrialisée et commercialisée à grande échelle. Le faible coût de production des dispositifs photovoltaïques organiques les rendent compétitives vis-à-vis des technologies inorganiques déjà bien implantées. Mais leur plus gros avantage est surement leur légèreté et leurs propriétés mécaniques qui les rendent très souples. Elles devraient donc certainement avoir un rôle majeur à jouer dans le futur en complément des cellules solaires classiques, avec une utilisation pour des applications spécifiques. Nous avons ainsi développé des polymères en utilisant des chromophores réputés pour leurs propriétés photophysiques : les porphyrines, les BODIPY et les dicétopyrrolopyrroles. Ces différentes unités absorbent intensément la lumière, ce qui les rend adéquates pour être utilisées pour la conversion de l’énergie solaire en électricité. En concevant un design original et adapté à cette application, nous avons ainsi obtenu plusieurs nouveaux polymères prometteurs. Nous avons ensuite pu étudier leurs propriétés électrochimiques et électroniques, ainsi que leurs caractéristiques photophysiques. Pour cela nous avons utilisé de nombreux outils (caméra streak, absorption transitoire femtoseconde, etc.) afin de comprendre en détails leur propriétés d’absorption et de luminescence. Ces informations nous ont permis de pouvoir ensuite comprendre leur comportement une fois intégrés dans la couche active des dispositifs photovoltaïques. En effet, le mécanisme de fonctionnement pour la création d’un courant électrique met en jeu des transferts d’électrons ultrarapides (∼50 fs) vers un accepteur d’électron. Il est alors crucial de pouvoir comprendre et contrôler les paramètres pouvant influencer l’efficacité de ces transferts et la stabilisation des charges qui en résultent, pour pouvoir finalement mener à des rendements de conversion de l’énergie lumineuse élevés. / The aim of this thesis was to elaborate new electron donor materials for organic solarcells. This emerging photovoltaic technology is rapidly expanding, and has yet already reached the limit for its large-scale commercialization. The low manufacturing cost of organic photovoltaic devices make then competitive face to well-established inorganic technologies. Their biggest advantage is their weight and their mechanical properties which make them flexible. They should play a key role in future as a complement to classic solar cells, with their use in specific applications. We developed polymers by using different chomophores, well-known for their interesting photophysical properties: the porphyrin, the BODIPY and the diketopyrrolopyrrole. All these units intensively absorb the light, making them perfect candidates to be used to convert sunlight to electricity. By designing appropriate structures for this application, we synthesized several new promising polymers. Afterward, we studied their electrochemical and electronic properties, as well as their photophysics. We used powerful tools (streak camera, transient absorption, etc.) in order to understand in details their absorption and luminescence properties. These results enabled us to further understand their behavior once inside the active layer of photovoltaic devices. Indeed, the mechanism for the electric current creation involves ultrafast electron transfers (∼50 fs) toward electron acceptor. It is of utmost importance to understand and control parameters that could affect the electron transfer efficiency and the resulting charge stabilization, to finally lead to better power conversion efficiencies.

abstract: The inexorable upsurge in world’s energy demand has steered the search for newer renewable energy sources and photovoltaics seemed to be one of the best alternatives for energy production. Among the various photovoltaic technologies that emerged, organic/polymer photovoltaics based on solution processed bulk-heterojunctions (BHJ) of semiconducting polymers has gained serious attention owing to the use of inexpensive light-weight materials, exhibiting high mechanical flexibility and compatibility with low temperature roll-to-roll manufacturing techniques on flexible substrates. The most widely studied material to date is the blend of regioregular P3HT and PC61BM used as donor and acceptor materials. The object of this study was to investigate and improve the performance/stability of the organic solar cells by use of inexpensive materials. In an attempt to enhance the efficiency of organic solar cells, we have demonstrated the use of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode in bulk heterojunction solar cell structure The device studies showed a significant enhancement in the short-circuit current as well as in the shunt resistance on use of the hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) layer. In another approach a p-type CuI hole-transport layer was utilized that could possibly replace the acidic PEDOT:PSS layer in the fabrication of high-efficiency solar cells. The device optimization was done by varying the concentration of CuI in the precursor solution which played an important role in the efficiency of the solar cell devices. Recently a substantial amount of research has been focused on identifying suitable interfacial layers in organic solar cells which has efficient charge transport properties. It was illustrated that a thin layer of silver oxide interfacial layer showed a 28% increase in power conversion efficiency in comparison to that of the control cell. The optoelectronic properties and morphological features of indium-free ZnO/Ag/MoOx electrodes was also studied. Organic solar cells on these composite electrodes revealed good optical and electrical properties, making them a promising alternative indium free and PEDOT:PSS-free organic solar cells. Lastly, inverted solar cells utilizing zinc oxide and yttrium doped zinc oxide electron transport was also created and their device properties revealed that optimum annealing conditions and yttrium doping was essential to obtain high efficiency solar cells. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Chemistry 2015

Les matériaux utilisés pour diverses applications en électronique organique ou photovoltaïque denouvelle génération subissent des dégruvent être encapsulés à l’aide de matériaux barrière àl’oxygène et à l’eau. Pour l’encapsulation des cellules photovoltaïques organiadations sous les effets conjugués de l’eau et de l’oxygène. Afinde limiter cette dégradation, ces dispositifs peques, les perméabilités àl’eau (WVTR) et à l’oxygène (OTR) de l’encapsulant ne doivent pas excéder 10-3 g.m-2.j-1 et 10-3cm3.m-2.j-1 respectivement.L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est l’étude et l’élaboration par voie humide d’une structuremulticouche hybride organique/inorganique flexible, transparente et barrière aux gaz ainsi que lacompréhension des mécanismes permettant de limiter la diffusion des gaz au travers de cette structure.Dans un premier temps, le travail de thèse a été consacré à la réalisation d’une couche mince d’oxydede silicium sur substrat polymère à partir d’un précurseur inorganique : le perhydropolysilazane(PHPS). Différentes voies de conversion du précurseur ont été étudiées et comparées. Lesperméabilités à l’eau et à l’oxygène des meilleures couches déposées sur substrat polymère sont del’ordre de 0,1 g.m-2.j-1 et 0,1 cm3.m-2.j-1 respectivement. Ces valeurs sont comparables à cellesobtenues pour des dépôts réalisés par voie plasma.Des structures multicouches hybrides ont été réalisées en intercalant des couches de polymère entredes couches d’oxyde de silicium afin de décorréler les défauts des couches denses. Cela a permisd’atteindre des perméabilités inférieures ou égales à 10-2 g.m-2.j-1 à l’eau et de l’ordre de 10-3 cm3.m-2.j-1 à l’oxygène.Les performances au cours du temps sous irradiation de cellules solaires encapsulées ont étécomparées. L’encapsulation avec le meilleur matériau barrière développé confère une stabilitéremarquable aux cellules.Cette étude a ainsi permis de montrer les structures barrières élaborées par voie liquide constituent unealternative de choix pour l’encapsulation à grande échelle de cellules photovoltaïques. / Materials used in organic electronic devices or new generation photovoltaics undergo degradation byoxygen and water. In order to prevent their degradation, the devices should be encapsulated withmaterials showing a low permeability to oxygen and water vapor. For organic solar cellsencapsulation, material permeability to water (WVTR) and oxygen (OTR) should not exceed 10-3 g.m-2.d-1 and 10-3 cm3.m-2.d-1 respectively. The aim of this work is to study and develop a solutionprocessed,flexible, transparent and gas-barrier multilayer inorganic/organic hybrid structure, and tounderstand the mechanisms involved in diffusion limitation through these barriers.Firstly, this work has been dedicated to the realization on a polymer substrate of a thin silicon oxidelayer from an inorganic precursor: the perhydropolysilazane (PHPS). Different precursor conversionpaths have been studied and compared. The best barrier layers on polymer substrate have shownoxygen and water permeabilities of about 0,1 g.m-2.d-1 and 0,1 cm3.m-2.d-1 respectively. This result iscomparable to the permeability of plasma deposited layers.Multilayer hybrid structures have been realized by introducing a polymer layer between inorganiclayers in order to decorrelate the thin layer defects. This achieved permeabilities below 10-2 g.m-2.d-1for water and 10-3 cm3.m-2.d-1 for oxygen.The photovoltaic performances of encapsulated organic solar cells under illumination have beencompared over time. Encapsulation with the best barrier material developed during this work resultedin good device stability.This study has shown that entirely solution-processed barrier materials are a promising option for largescale organic solar cells encapsulation.

Orientadores: Ana Flavia Nogueira, Jonas Gruber / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T17:00:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Freitas_JilianNeide_D.pdf: 8511541 bytes, checksum: 16cafd5a8e1e1563c206ffa381e7c35a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Este trabalho consistiu no desenvolvimento e caracterização de materiais para aplicação em células fotovoltaicas híbridas. No Capítulo I, uma introdução geral sobre o funcionamento e estado da arte de células solares, e sobre as propriedades de polímeros condutores e nanopartículas inorgâncias é apresentada. O Capítulo II contém os objetivos deste trabalho. No Capítulo III, foram investigados novos polímeros condutores, baseados na combinação de unidades fluoreno com unidades tiofeno e/ou benzeno. As propriedades fotofísicas, eletroquímicas e de transporte de cargas foram caracterizadas, e esses polímeros foram então combinados com um derivado solúvel de fulereno (PCBM) e os compósitos formados (heterojunção) foram aplicados em células solares com configuração ITO | PEDOT:PSS | Heterojunção | LiF | Al. A seguir, foram sintetizadas nanopartículas de CdSe com diferentes tamanhos, usando um método descrito na literatura. Essas partículas foram caracterizadas por medidas de absorção e emissão, voltametria cíclica (VC), difração de Raios-X (DRX) e microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (TEM), conforme apresentado no Capítulo IV. Os polímeros investigados inicialmente foram combinados com as nanopartículas de CdSe, e esses materiais foram utilizados na montagem de células solares híbridas. De modo geral, os dispositivos apresentaram valores baixos de fotocorrente, o que foi atribuído ao fato de as nanopartículas inorgânicas não transportarem elétrons de forma efetiva nesses dispositivos. A seguir, propôs-se um novo sistema, em que a heterojunção constitui na mistura ternária polímero/CdSe/PCBM. Esses dispositivos foram caracterizados por curvas de corrente-potencial e pela resposta espectral do sistema, mostrando resultados extremamente promissores. Os sistemas ternários foram então investigados por diversas técnicas, como absorção, emissão, DRX, VC, TEM e microscopia de força atômica, a fim de determinar a atuação de cada componente da mistura ternária quando aplicados nas células solares. Esses resultados são apresentados no Capítulo V. No Capítulo VI, novos polímeros condutores derivados do polifluoreno, contendo unidades funcionais como grupos piridina, ou compostos aromáticos do tipo "push-pull", foram sintetizados pelo método de Gilch. A estrutura desses polímeros foi desenhada visando sua aplicação nas células híbridas, combinandoos com as nanopartículas de CdSe previamente sintetizadas. Esses materiais foram caracterizados por ressonância magnética nuclear de hidrogênio, espectroscopia no Infravermelho com transformada de Fourier. cromatografia por permeação em gel, análises térmicas e medidas eletroquímicas e de fotofísica. No Capítulo VII, propôs-se a introdução de um corante orgânico comercial (Disperse Red 1), como terceiro componente em uma mistura de poli(fluorenilenovinileno) e PCBM, visando aumentar a absorção de luz pela camada ativa do dispositivo. Foi realizado um extenso estudo usando técnicas fotofísicas e eletroquímicas para investigar o efeito da adição do corante, bem como determinar quais os tipos de processos (transferência de elétrons ou energia) ocorrem no sistema ternário. Finalmente o Capítulo VIII contém as principais conclusões deste trabalho e perspectivas de continuação para esta linha de pesquisa. / Abstract: This PhD Thesis investigated the development and characterization of new materials aiming at the application in hybrid solar cells. In Chapter I, a general introduction on the working principles and state-of-the-art of the organic solar cells, properties of the conducting polymers and the inorganic nanoparticles are presented. Chpater II highlights the aims of this work. In Chapter III, new conducting polymers based on the combination of fluorene, thiophene and/or benzene units are investigated. The photophysical and electrochemical characteristics, and charge mobility, are discussed. The polymers were also combined with a soluble fullerene derivative (PCBM) and these composites were used as active layer in bulk-heterojunction solar cells with the following configuration: ITO | PEDOT:PSS | Heterojunction | LiF | Al. Then, CdSe nanoparticles with different sizes were synthesized using a well-established method, and characterized using absorption and emission measurements, cyclic voltammetry (CV), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as presented in Chapter IV. The previously characterized polymers were combined with the CdSe nanoparticles, and the nanocomposites were used to assemble hybrid solar cells. The devices showed very low photocurrent values, which were attributed to a poor electronic transport in the nanoparticles phase. Thus, a new system was suggested, based on a mixture of polymer/CdSe/PCBM. The photocurrent-potential curves and spectral response of the devices assembled with the ternary systems were evaluated, leading to very promising results. The absorption, emission, XRD, CV, TEM and atomic force microscopy measurements of the films were also performed to investigate/elucidate the role of each component in the ternary systems, as discussed in Chapter V. In Chapter VI, new conducting polymers based on poly(fluorenylenevinylene) containing functional units, such as pyridine or push-pull type aromatic units, were synthesized via the Gilch route. The structures of these materials were designed aiming at their application in hybrid solar cells, in combination with the previously synthesized CdSe nanoparticles. The polymers were characterized by magnetic nuclear resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and thermal, electrochemical and photophysical measurements. These polymers were combined with CdSe and/or PCBM and used as active layer in solar cells. In Chapter VII the addition of the commercial organic dye Disperse Red 1 in the mixture of poly(fluorenylenevinylene)/PCBM to enhance the light absorption in the active layer was investigated. A systematic study using photophysical and electrochemical measurements was performed in order to elucidate the effect of the dye addition, as well as the energy or electron transfer processes in this new ternary system. Finally, Chapter VIII summarizes the main conclusions of this work and highlights some perspectives for this exciting research filed. / Doutorado / Quimica Inorganica / Doutor em Ciências

Les travaux réalisés aux cours de cette thèse ont pour but de proposer une alternative verte à la synthèse de nouveaux systèmes conjugués linéaires pour des applications en électronique plastique. La première partie sera consacrée à l’élaboration de systèmes conjugués de type D-A par une combinaison de réactions vertes : substitution nucléophile aromatique et condensation de Knoevenagel réalisées,respectivement, dans l’eau et l’éthanol. De plus, une nouvelle méthodologie sera explorée pour rendre le couplage de Stille plus éco-compatible : l’utilisation de réactifs stannylés supportés sur liquide ionique ou billes de polymère. Par cette nouvelle approche, de nouvelles structures moléculaires ont été synthétisées et ont aussi montré leur efficacité comme matériau donneur pour cellules solaires organiques.La deuxième partie s’intéressera aux relations entre structure, organisation à l’état solide et luminescence des distyrylfuranes, lorsque les substituants aromatiques latéraux varient. Le coeur furane est produit à partir de la biomasse, et les substituants sont insérés par condensation de Knoevenagel. Une étude similaire sera mise en place pour deux dérivés de benzodifurane,qui seront en plus testés en tant que matériau donneur. / This work stands for an alternative and green synthesis of new linear conjugated systems that will serve for applications in organic electronics.The first part is devoted to the design and synthesis of D-A-type conjugated systems by a combination of green reactions: nucleophilic aromatic substitution and Knoevenagel condensation, which are performed in water and ethanol, respectively. Also, a green methodology will be applied to the Stille cross-coupling by using ionic liquid, or polymer,-supported reagents. By this new approach, efficient donor materials for solar cells have been produced.The second part will focus on the relationships between the structure, the solid state organization and the luminescence of distyrylfurans with the variation of thearomatic substituants. The center of the molecule, a furan, is produced from biomass, and the aromatic substituants are incorporated by Knoevenagel condensation. A similar study will be performed on two benzodifuran derivatives, which will be also tested for solar cell applications.

This diploma thesis focuses on the preparation of large-scale organic solar cells using techniques compatible with large volume production. The theoretical part consists of research summarizing the basic theoretical background of the function of organic solar cells and the current state of investigation of the shift from laboratory to large-scale production. The experimental part deals with the optimization of methods of preparation of layers of structure of solar cells, which can be converted into industrial scale.

Development of efficient and clean energy sources to meet the ever-increasing de- mand of humankind is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. There is a dire need to decarbonise the power sector, and the focus needs to shift to re- newable resources such as wind and solar energy. In this regard, organic solar cells are a promising and novel technology owing to its low carbon footprint, innovative applications, and possible integration into the current infrastructure. Due to its unique advantages, a considerable research effort has been put into its development in the last decades. As a result, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the organic photovoltaics has steadily risen from as low as 0.5% to around 17 % at the current stage. This improvement primarily originates from the better understanding of the underlying physical processes and as a result of extensive material development. In the most general case, organic solar cells consist of a binary blend of an electron donating and an electron accepting organic semiconductor forming the so-called ‘bulk-heterojunction’ (BHJ) morphology. Thermodynamics places an upper limit on the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of binary blend BHJ devices and for further enhancement in efficiency novel device concepts like the use of ternary blends and tandem device architectures is being investigated. In relation to these approaches, the development of low optical-gap (Eopt ≤ 1.5 eV) organic semiconductors has gained importance as these materials provide for the complementary absorption with respect to the other components and better harvesting of the solar spectrum. This work mainly deals with the investigation of low optical gap donor and acceptor materials for organic solar cells. We investigate the effect of the molecular structure on the device performance and the photophysical processes in the binary and ternary blend configuration. In the first part of the thesis, we study a family of low optical- gap diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) based polymers while varying the conjugated core and the branching position and length of the solubilizing alkyl side chains. The branching position of the side chains is found to have a significant influence on the polymers ability to crystallize, which in turn influences the mobility of free charge carriers. The branching position also affects the solubility of the polymer, which in turn influences the morphology of the bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) and ultimately the yield of photogenerated charge carriers. To investigate the electron transfer and charge separation dynamics in the blends consisting of DPP polymers and fullerene, we employed ultrafast pump-probe spec- troscopic techniques. In the spectroscopy data, we observe signatures suggesting an ultrafast electron transfer process and an efficient charge separation process due to the high mobility of the free charge carriers shortly after separation (∼10-100 ps). Lastly, we investigated indacenodithiophene (IDT) based non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) molecules. In particular, we studied the effect of fluorination on the device performance when these acceptors are blended with PTB7-Th and P3HT donor polymers. The kinetics of the photophysical processes in the binary and ternary blends are characterized using ultrafast spectroscopy and related to the morphology of the blend and the molecular structure of the acceptors. Overall, we investigated the structural variations in the DPP polymers and flu- orinated non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) molecules and suggest design rules for the synthesis of optimal DPP polymers and non-fullerene acceptors to achieve supe- rior device performance. Additionally, we also shed light on the phenomenological processes happening on an ultrafast time scale (0.2-1000 ps) in the binary and the ternary blends with the aim of developing a better understanding of the photophys- ical processes in these promising material systems.

Organic solar cells promise electricity generation at very low cost, and higher installation flexibility as compared to inorganic solar cells. The lower cost is achieved by cheaper semiconductors and easier manufacturing processes. The flexibility is naturally given by these ultra-thin, amorphous layers. Also the power conversion efficiency can be high enough for many applications. The organic molecules have to withstand the constant excitation by photons, transport of energy in form of excitons and charge. A small but significant amount of these photons has energy over the absorption gap, the excess of energy must be released without breaking the molecular bonds. In consequence, the solar cells can also heat up to temperatures at above 80°C. The objective of this work is to answer the question if the small molecules organic solar cells can be stable enough to operate under a very long time. The stability of organic doped layers in an organic solar cell is also addressed. This work starts with a general introduction followed by the description of the experimental procedures. The aging experiments of the solar cell were done with a self developed equipment. The fabrication of this equipment (a set of measurement boxes) was necessary to maintain the conditions, under which a solar cell can be aged, as constant as possible. The measurement boxes were used to control the electrical load of the cell, its temperature, the illumination intensity, and its electric connection to the IxV measurement equipment. A software package was also developed to control the equipment and to facilitate the work and visualization of the high volume of collected data. The model solar cells chosen for the aging experiments were donor-acceptor heterojunctions devices formed with the well-known materials C60 and ZnPc. Two basic different structures were analyzed, because they offered reasonable performance and potentially long lifetime: the flat heterojunction (FHJ) and the mixed heterojunction in a Metal-Insulator-p-Semiconductor (m-i-p) configuration. Variations of the FHJ and of the m-i-p structures are also used to verify the limits of the stability of electrically p- and n- doped organic semiconducting layers. The least stable solar cells are the FHJ devices. These devices show a fast initial decrease of all their characteristic conversion parameters but the Voc. After a few hundred hours, the saturation current (current under a reverse bias of 1 V) was almost stable. The saturation current is related to the number of absorbing centers, the decrease indicates that the degradation of the absorbing centers has stopped. With wavelength resolved external quantum efficiency measurements and chemical analysis, it was found that the degradation is related to the oxidation of C60. It was also shown that the use of organic dopants do not significantly affect the lifetime. The results show that the m-i-p solar cells are more stable than the FHJ devices. They are also stable under high temperatures up to 105°C. Outdoor testing also showed that the solar cells remained chemically, electrically and mechanically stable during a 900 h test.

Organische Solarzellen besitzen das Potential für leichte und zugleich flexible photovoltaische Anwendungen, die kostengünstig hergestellt werden können und damit einen Beitrag zur Verminderung der Emission von Kohlendioxid, Methan und Stickoxiden leisten können. Zur Herstellung von organischen Solarzellen werden nur geringe Mengen der organischen Materialien benötigt und die Prozessierung findet bei vergleichsweise geringen Temperaturen statt, was die Abscheidung auf z. B. Plastikfolie ermöglicht. Man unterscheidet drei Arten von organischen Solarzellen. Erstens, Solarzellen bestehend aus kleinen Molekülen, die im Vakuum durch Sublimation auf das Substrat abgeschieden werden. Zweitens, Polymersolarzellen, deren Schichten aus Lösung meist durch „spin-coating“ oder Druckverfahren präpariert werden. Und drittens, „dye-sensitized“ Solarzellen (auch Grätzel-Zellen), die aus einer porösen Schicht Titandioxid und einem flüssigen Elektrolyten für den Ladungsträgertransport bestehen. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich ausschließlich mit organischen Solarzellen aus kleinen Molekülen. Die höchsten erreichten Wirkungsgrade organischer Solarzellen aus kleinen Molekülen liegen derzeit bei etwa 5 % . Um die Effizienzen von Solarzellen aus kleinen Molekülen zu steigern, ist es einerseits notwendig das Verständnis der physikalischen und chemischen Prozesse innerhalb der Bauelemente genauer beschreiben zu können, andererseits werden neue Materialien mit optimierten Eigenschaften für die organische Photovoltaik benötigt. In dieser Arbeit wurden zwei Strategien zur Optimierung organischer Solarzellen verfolgt: • Durch die Optimierung des Versatzes der Energieniveaus der organischen Materialien konnte die Leerlaufspannung in einem Modellsystem maximiert werden. An diesem Modellsystem wurden der Ursprung der Leerlaufspannung und die Rekombinationsdynamik von photogenerierten Ladungsträgern untersucht. Bezüglich der Leerlaufspannung zeigen Solarzellen, deren photoaktive Materialien in einer Mischschicht vorliegen, im Vergleich zu Solarzellen, die eine photoaktive Doppelschicht beinhalten, fundamentale Unterschiede . • Des Weiteren wurden neue Thiophenderivate untersucht, die als aktive Materialien in organischen Solarzellen eingesetzt wurden. Durch elektronenziehende Endgruppen wurde das Ionisationspotential der Thiophenderivate abgesenkt und die optische Bandlücke verringert. Das Thiophenderivat DCV3T fungiert in Kombination mit herkömmlichen Donator-Materialien als Akzeptor. In Mischschichten aus DCV3T und C60 kommt es durch einen Hin- und Rücktransfer der Anregungsenergie zwischen den Materialien statt der Generation von freien Ladungsträgern zu einer Erhöhung der Triplett-Exzitonendichte auf DCV3T . Diese Exzitonen besitzen auf Grund der hohen Lebensdauer von Triplett-Exzitonen das Potential für eine erhöhte Exzitonendiffusionslänge, die in einem neuen Solarzellenkonzept ausgenutzt werden konnte . / Organic solar cells have the potential for light weight and flexible applications. They can be manufactured cost-effectively and can thus contribute to the reduction of the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and nitric oxides. In order to manufacture organic solar cells, only small amounts of organic materials are required. They can be processed at comparably low temperatures. Therefore, the fabrication on substrates like plastic foil is possible. Three different types of organic solar cells exist. The first kinds are solar cells prepared from small molecules that are manufactured via sublimation of the material in a vacuum. The second kind are polymer solar cells manufactured from solution by spin coating techniques or ink jet printing. And thirdly, dye sensitized solar cells - also known as Grätzel cells - consisting of a porous layer of titanium dioxide and most commonly a liquid electrolyte for the charge transport. This work deals exclusively with small molecule solar cells. The highest power conversion efficiencies reached by small molecule organic photovoltaics are now in the range of 5 %. In order to increase the efficiencies of solar cells prepared from small molecules, two major aspects must be developed. The understanding of the physical processes within the organic devices must be improved. And secondly, new materials are required with physical properties optimized for organic photovoltaics. In this work, I followed two strategies for optimizing organic solar cells: • By optimizing the offset of energy levels between donor and acceptor material, the open circuit voltage could be increased. In the investigated model system, the origin of the open circuit voltage and the recombination dynamics of photo generated charge carriers were analyzed. Concerning the open circuit voltage, solar cells consisting of a donor acceptor double layer structure, show fundamental differences to solar cells consisting of a donor acceptor blend. • Furthermore, new thiophene derivatives used as photoactive materials were investigated. By the attachment of electron withdrawing end groups, the ionization potential of the oligothiophenes is increased and the optical band gap is reduced at the same time. The investigated thiophene derivative DCV3T acts as an acceptor in combination with the commonly used donor-materials. A back- and forth-transfer of excitation energy is observed in blends of DCV3T and fullerene C60. In these blends, excitons are not separated into free charge carriers. This back and forth transfer leads to an enhancement of the density of triplet excitons on DCV3T. These excitons have a potentially high diffusion length due to the long lifetime of triplet excitons. This effect was utilized in the organic solar cells.

Die steigende Nachfrage nach erneuerbarer elektrischer Energie erfordert neue photovoltaische Technologien. Effiziente organische Solarzellen mit gemischten, absorbierenden organischen Molekülen wandeln Sonnenlicht in Elektrizität um und die jüngsten Rekorde des Wirkungsgrads zeigen das Potenzial für eine alternative Energieerzeugung. Trotz dieser Durchbrüche führt die Verwendung komplexer organischer Moleküle, die zu einer selbstorganisierten Absorberschicht zusammengemischt werden, zu komplizierten Morphologien, die bisher nur unzureichend abgebildet werden konnten. Die Morphologie hat jedoch einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf die Umwandlung von Photonen in Elektronen und auf den Photostrom, was sich auf die Gesamtleistung der Solarzelle auswirkt. Diese Dissertation ist eine Studie über die Morphologie organischer Dünnfilm-Mischschichten in verschiedenen organischen Solarzellen unter Verwendung analytischer Elektronenmikroskopietechniken (REM, TEM, EDX). In einem weiteren Schritt werden auch die Einflüsse der Mikrostruktureigenschaften dieser im Vakuum abgeschiedenen organischen Solarzellen auf ihre elektronischen Eigenschaften untersucht. Diese Studie umfasst bekannte Zinkphthalocyanin- (ZnPc) und Fulleren (C60) Mischschichten (ZnPc:C60) sowie neu entwickelte Materialien, DTDCTB und NGX gemischt mit C60. Auf mikroskopischer Skala wurde der Einfluss der Abscheidung der oben genannten Schichten auf unterschiedlich erhitzte Substrate, sowie deren Auswirkungen auf die elektronische Leistungsfähigkeit untersucht. Es wurden drei sehr unterschiedliche Wachstumssysteme beobachtet: • Filme mit guter Phasentrennung (ZnPc:C60) • Gut gemischte dünne Schichten (DTDCTB:C60) • Selbstorganisierende Nanodrähte (NGX:C60) Um die gewachsene Mikrostruktur zu erklären werden thermodynamische Modelle zur Erklärung der experimentellen Ergebnisse eingesetzt. Diese Arbeit bietet daher einen Rahmen, der die Planung zukünftiger Experimente leiten kann. Für die in dieser Arbeit untersuchten Schichtsysteme konnte die Korrelation zwischen den Präparationsbedingungen und der Leistungsfähigkeit der Solarzellen durch die beobachtete Mikrostruktur und die Phasenseparation von Donor und Akzeptor gut erklärt werden.:1 MOTIVATION AND INTRODUCTION 5 2 THEORETICAL FUNDAMENTALS 2.1 BASICS OF ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS 2.1.1 Organic semiconductors materials 2.1.2 Working principle of organic solar cells 2.1.3 Characteristic curves of solar cells 2.1.4 Concept of bulk heterojunction 2.1.5 Morphology and phase separation 2.2 RELEVANT LENGTH SCALES IN THE STUDY OF ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS 2.3 THE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE 2.3.1 Introduction and working principle 2.3.2 Interaction of primary electrons with sample 2.3.3 Detecting SE and BSE electrons 2.3.4 SEM tool with FIB 2.4 THE TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPE 2.4.1 Working principle and components of TEM 2.4.2 Scattering in TEM 2.4.3 Operation modes in TEM 2.5 ANALYTICAL ELECTRON MICROSCOPY 2.5.1 EDX in TEM 2.5.2 EDX with high-tech detectors 2.6 CHALLENGES OF ELECTRON MICROSCOPY ON ORGANIC MATERIALS 2.6.1 Contrast formation and electron scattering 2.6.2 Damage induced by electron beam 2.6.3 Contrast formation and electron scattering 2.6.4 Necessity of low energy microscopy 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS 3.1 DONORS AND ACCEPTOR 3.1.1 The donor ZnPc 3.1.2 The donor DTDCTB 3.1.3 The donor NGX 3.1.1 The acceptor C60 3.2 FABRICATION OF ORGANIC SOLAR CELL DEVICES AND THIN FILMS 3.2.1 Vacuum deposition 3.2.2 Solar cell devices 3.2.3 Electrical Characterization 3.2.4 Organic thin films on the substrate 3.3 ELECTRON MICROSCOPES AND SAMPLE PREPARATION 3.3.1 Cross-sections using focused ion beam 3.3.2 Experimental details used in TEM/SEM 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 ZNPC AS DONOR MATERIAL 4.1.1 Morphology of ZnPc:C60 thin films 4.1.2 Solar cell devices with ZnPc:C60 active layer 4.1.3 Conclusions and discussion 4.2 DTDCTB AS DONOR MATERIAL 4.2.1 Peculiar performance of the solar cell 4.2.2 Morphology of DTDCTB:C60 thin films 4.2.3 Solar cell devices with DTDCTB:C60 active layer 4.2.4 Conclusions and discussion 4.3 NGX AS DONOR MATERIAL 4.3.1 Morphology of NGX:C60 thin films 4.3.2 Conclusions and discussion 5 CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK 6 APPENDIX A1 NEAREST NEIGHBOR DISTANCE A2 FROM DARK FIELD TEM IMAGES TO THE ELEMENTAL MAP A3 COMPARING THE COMPOSITION OF DARK AND BRIGHT POINTS IN THE EDX-ELEMENTAL A4 ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENTS FROM EDX IMAGES A5 SPECTROSCOPY MEASUREMENTS ON DTDCTB:C60 7 LISTS 7.1 ABBREVIATIONS 1.: Acronyms B2.: Materials B3.: Symbols 7.2 LIST OF FIGURES 7.3 LIST OF TABLES BIBLIOGRAPHY