Photogeneration and Recombination in P3HT/PCBM Solar Cells Probed by Time-Delayed Collection Field Experiments

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Abstract

Time-delayed collection field (TDCF) experiments are performed on bulk heterojunction solar cells comprised of a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl C₇₁ butyric acid methyl ester. TDCF is analogous to a pump−probe experiment using optical excitation and an electrical probe with a resolution of <100 ns. The number of free charge carriers extracted after a short delay is found to be independent of the electric field during illumination. Also, experiments performed with a variable delay between the optical excitation and the electrical probe do not reveal any evidence for the generation of charge via field-assisted dissociation of bound long-lived polaron pairs. Photocurrent transients are well fitted by computational drift diffusion simulations with only direct generation of free charge carriers. With increasing delay times between pump and probe, two loss mechanisms are identified; first, charge-carriers are swept out of the device by the internal electric field, and second, bimolecular recombination of the remaining carriers takes place with a reduced recombination coefficient.

Keywords:

polymer solar cells; photogeneration of charges; loss mechanism in organic photovoltaics; poly(3-hexylthiophene); carrier extraction; bimolecular recombination

Citing Articles

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This article has been cited by 3 ACS Journal articles (3 most recent appear below).

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  On the Field Dependence of Free Charge Carrier Generation and Recombination in Blends of PCPDTBT/PC₇₀BM: Influence of Solvent Additives

  Steve Albrecht, Wolfram Schindler, Jona Kurpiers, Juliane Kniepert, James C. Blakesley, Ines Dumsch, Sybille Allard, Konstantinos Fostiropoulos, Ullrich Scherf, and Dieter Neher
  The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters2012 Article ASAP

  • On the Field Dependence of Free Charge Carrier Generation and Recombination in Blends of PCPDTBT/PC₇₀BM: Influence of Solvent Additives

    Steve Albrecht, Wolfram Schindler, Jona Kurpiers, Juliane Kniepert, James C. Blakesley, Ines Dumsch, Sybille Allard, Konstantinos Fostiropoulos, Ullrich Scherf, and Dieter Neher
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters2012 Article ASAP

    We have applied time-delayed collection field (TDCF) and charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage (CELIV) to investigate the photogeneration, transport, and recombination of charge carriers in blends composed of PCPDTBT/PC70BM processed with and ...

    Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
• 

  Dark Carriers, Trapping, and Activation Control of Carrier Recombination in Neat P3HT and P3HT:PCBM Blends

  Andrew J. Ferguson, Nikos Kopidakis, Sean E. Shaheen, and Garry Rumbles
  The Journal of Physical Chemistry C2011 115 (46), 23134-23148

  • Dark Carriers, Trapping, and Activation Control of Carrier Recombination in Neat P3HT and P3HT:PCBM Blends

    Andrew J. Ferguson, Nikos Kopidakis, Sean E. Shaheen, and Garry Rumbles
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry C2011 115 (46), 23134-23148

    Using flash photolysis, time-resolved microwave conductivity we report the sub-200 ns photoconductivity transients for neat poly(3-hexylthiophene), P3HT, and four associated blends containing 1%, 5%, 20%, and 50%, by weight, of the soluble fullerene, [6,6]...

    Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
• 

  Effect of External Bias on Nongeminate Recombination in Polythiophene/Methanofullerene Organic Solar Cells

  Ralf Mauer, Ian A. Howard, and Frédéric Laquai
  The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters2011 2 (14), 1736-1741

  • Effect of External Bias on Nongeminate Recombination in Polythiophene/Methanofullerene Organic Solar Cells

    Ralf Mauer, Ian A. Howard, and Frédéric Laquai
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters2011 2 (14), 1736-1741

    Much recent literature suggests that nongeminate recombination is the loss mechanism that predominantly determines the bias dependence of the photocurrent in efficient organic solar cells. Here, we report a new experimental technique based on measuring ...

    Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links

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