AN ECO-FRIENDLY APPROACH FOR ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS

The morphology control of the active layer is essential to obtain high efficiency in organic solar cells (OSCs).1 Even on laboratory scale the active layer optimization requires large amount of chlorinated aromatic solvents, that are harmful for environment and human health, and strictly regulated by laws, restricting their industrial development so far.2 Recently the use of water-processable nanoparticles (WPNPs), consisting of a blend of a semiconducting polymer and a fullerene derivative (e.g. PC61BM), emerged as a sustainable approach to control of the morphology of the active layer and to reduce the use of chlorinated aromatic solvents, leading to eco-friendly efficient devices,3 and paving the way for a new technological implementation of OSCs. Here we reported on the application of an amphiphilic low band gap rod-coil block copolymer (PCPDTBT-b-P4VP) for the preparation of WPNPs, through an adapted miniemulsion method (see the figure),4 and their application to the fabrication of standard WPNP-based OSCs with a power conversion efficiency of 2.53%.5 References 1. Polymers 2014, 6, 2832; 2. Environ. Health Persp. 2010, 118, 1355; Adv. Energy Mater. 2011, 1, 68; 3. Adv. Mater. 2014, 26, 6653; 4. Adv. Mater. 2002, 14, 651; 5. S. Zappia, G. Scavia, A.M. Ferreti, U. Giovanella, V.Vohra, S. Destri, submitted to Advanced Sustainable Systems. Acknowledgments: Associazione Italiana Scienza e Tecnologia delle Macromolecole (AIM), PRIN Project 2012A4Z2RY-AQUA-SOL, Regione Lombardia Project 2016 "i-ZEB".