Acceptor blending ratio dependence of bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices

Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices are generally composed of a blend film of a π-conjugated polymeric electron donor and a C60 derivative electron acceptor intercalated between an anode and a cathode, typical of a two-dimensional device structure. Often, a regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rr-P3HT) and indene-C60 bisadduct (ICBA) blend film is used as the BHJ active layer instead of the conventional P3HT and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend film due to the ICBA device’s higher power conversion efficiency (PCE), which is correlated with its higher open-circuit voltage (VOC). To determine the quantitative influences of those electron acceptors in the BHJ OPV devices, we prepared various devices of acceptors, either PCBM or ICBA, with a wide range of blending ratios (from 0 to 100%) for estimating their typical optoelectronic properties, e.g., UV-visible absorption spectra, photoluminescence intensity, surface morphology, and photovoltaic device parameters. Obtained data were compared to each other and were analyzed as a function of their acceptor blending ratio.