Leif Ericsson

Photo-degradation in air of the active layer components in a thiophene-quinoxaline copolymer: fullerene solar cell

We have studied the photo-degradation in air of a blend of [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and poly[2,3-bis-(3-octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline-5,8-diyl-alt-thiophene-2,5-diyl] (TQ1), and how the photo-degradation affects the solar cell performance. Using near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, changes to the electronic structure of TQ1 and PCBM caused by illumination in ambient air are investigated and compared between the pristine materials and the blend. The NEXAFS spectra show that the unoccupied molecular orbitals of TQ1 are not significantly changed by the exposure of pristine TQ1 to light in air, whereas those of PCBM are severely affected as a result of photo-induced degradation of PCBM. Furthermore, the photo-degradation of PCBM is accelerated by blending it with TQ1. While the NEXAFS spectrum of TQ1 remains unchanged upon illumination in air, its valence band spectrum shows that the occupied molecular orbitals are weakly affected. Yet, UV-Vis absorption spectra demonstrate photo-bleaching of TQ1, which is attenuated in the presence of PCBM in blend films. Illumination of the active layer of TQ1:PCBM solar cells prior to cathode deposition causes severe losses in electrical performance.

The influence of oxygen adsorption on the NEXAFS and core-level XPS spectra of the C60 derivative PCBM

Fullerenes have been a main focus of scientific research since their discovery due to the interesting possible applications in various fields like organic photovoltaics (OPVs). In particular, the derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C60-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is currently one of the most popular choices due to its higher solubility in organic solvents compared to unsubstituted C60. One of the central issues in the field of OPVs is device stability, since modules undergo deterioration (losses in efficiency, open circuit voltage, and short circuit current) during operation. In the case of fullerenes, several possibilities have been proposed, including dimerization, oxidation, and impurity related deterioration. We have studied by means of density functional theory the possibility of oxygen adsorption on the C60 molecular moiety of PCBM. The aim is to provide guidelines for near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements which can probe the presence of atomic or molecular oxygen on the fullerene cage. By analysing several configurations of PCBM with one or more adsorbed oxygen atoms, we show that a joint core level XPS and O1s NEXAFS investigation could be effectively used not only to confirm oxygen adsorption but also to pinpoint the bonding configuration and the nature of the adsorbate.

Fluorescence and UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy studies on polymer blend films for photovoltaics

The quinoxaline-based polymer TQ1 (poly[2,3-bis-(3-octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline-5,8-diyl-alt-thiophene-2,5- diyl]) is a promising candidate as electron donor in organic solar cells. In combination with the electron acceptor [6,6]- phenyl-C71- butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM), TQ1 has resulted in solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of 7 %. We have studied TQ1 films, with and without PC70BM, spin-casted from different solvents, by fluorescence spectroscopy and UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy. We used chloroform (CF), chlorobenzene (CB), and odichlorobenzene (o-DCB) as solvents for the coating solutions and 1-chloronaphthalene (CN) as solvent additive. CN addition has been shown to enhance photo-conversion efficiency of these solar cells. Phase-separation causes lateral domain formation in the films and the domain size depends on the solvent . These morphological differences coincide with changes in the spectroscopic patterns of the films. From a spectroscopic point of view, TQ1 acts as fluorescent probe and PC70BM as quencher. The degree of fluorescence quenching is coupled to the morphology through the distance between TQ1 and PC70BM. Furthermore, if using a bad solvent for PC70BM, morphological regions rich in the fullerene yield emission characteristic for aggregated PC70BM. Clear differences were found, comparing the TQ1:PC70BM blend films casted from different solvents and at different ratios between the donor and acceptor. The morphology also influences the UV/VIS absorption spectra, yielding further information on the composition. The results show that fluorescence and UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy can be used to detect aggregation in blended films and that these methods extend the morphological information beyond the scale accessible with microscopy.

ZnO nanocrystals on SiO2/Si surfaces thermally cleaned in ultrahigh vacuum and characterized using spectroscopic photoemission and low energy electron microscopy

Thermal cleaning in ultrahigh vacuum of ZnO nanocrystals distributed on SiO2/Si surfaces has been studied using spectroscopic photoemission and low energy electron microscopy (SPELEEM). This study thus concern weakly bound ZnO nanocrystals covering only 5%–10% of the substrate. Chemical properties, crystallinity, and distribution of nanocrystals are used to correlate images acquired with the different techniques showing excellent correspondence. The nanocrystals are shown to be clean enough after thermal cleaning at 650 °C to be imaged by LEEM and x-ray PEEM as well as chemically analyzed by site selective x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (μ-XPS). μ-XPS shows a sharp Zn 3d peak and resolve differences in O 1s states in oxides. The strong LEEM reflections together with the obtained chemical information indicates that the ZnO nanocrystals were thermally cleaned, but do not indicate any decomposition of the nanocrystals. μ-XPS was also used to determine the thickness of SiO2 on Si. This article is the first ...

Morphology in dip-coated blend films for photovoltaics studied by UV/VIS absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy

Blend thin films, prepared by dip-coating, of polyfluorene (F8 or PFO), acting as an electron donor, and [6,6]-phenyl-C61- butyric acid methyl ester (PC60BM), acting as the electron acceptor, have been characterized by UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy, static and dynamic fluorescence, and atomic force microscopy. Four different solvents were used for the film preparation; the monohalogenated fluorobenzene and chlorobenzene and their dihalogenated counterparts odifluorobenzene and o-dichlorobenzene, respectively. Fluid mechanics calculations were used to determine the withdrawal speed for each solvent, in order to prepare wet films of comparable thicknesses. The resulting dry films were also of similar thicknesses. It was found that the choice of solvent influences the ability for F8 to form its β-phase.