Macromolecular Rapid Communications
Macromolecular Rapid Communications
5 years ago

Solution-Processable Hyperbranched Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles Based on C3h-Symmetric Benzotrithiophene for Polymer Solar Cells

Solution-Processable Hyperbranched Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles Based on C3h-Symmetric Benzotrithiophene for Polymer Solar Cells
Hui Tong, Hao Hang, Yuxiang Xu, Xiaofu Wu, Lixiang Wang, Yonghong Chen, Zijian Zhang
The development of photovoltaic polymers based on C3h-symmetric benzotrithiophene (C3h-BTT), an analogue of the well-known benzodithiophene (BDT) donor unit, has been severely limited due to difficult processability. Here the authors report the preparation of solution-processable C3h-BTT-based hyperbranched conjugated polymer nanoparticles (BTT-HCPNs) with tunable particle sizes via Stille miniemulsion polymerization. Compared with the corresponding star-shaped small molecule (C3h-BTT core with three diketopyrrolopyrrole arms, BTT-3DPP) with a wide bandgap (1.83 eV), both BTT-HCPNs show strong aggregation even in dilute solutions, leading to much-extended absorption (up to ≈1000 nm) and lower bandgaps (1.38 eV). The larger BTT-HCPN particle exhibits stronger aggregation and more extended absorption than the smaller one. As a result, solar cells fabricated from BTT-HCPNs/PC71BM solutions show a power conversion efficiency up to 1.51% after DIO additive treatment, much higher than that of BTT-3DPP (0.31%). C3h-symmetric benzotrithiophene-based hyperbranched conjugated polymer nanoparticles (BTT-HCPNs) with tunable particle sizes are prepared via Stille miniemulsion polymerization for the first time. Comparing with the corresponding star-shaped small molecule (C3h-BTT core with three diketopyrrolopyrrole arms), solution-processable BTT-HCPNs show redshifted and broader absorption spectra and narrower bandgaps, leading to higher power conversion efficiencies for solar cells based on BTT-HCPNs/PC71BM.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/marc.201700001

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