First application of electrosynthesized polyterthiophene to organic solar cells

Abstract

Polyterthiophene (PTT) thin films have been electrosynthesized using potentiodynamic and potentiostatic methods. The optimal experimental conditions to prepare organic solar cells were determined by deposition of films on platinum and then the process was adapted to an indium tin oxide substrate. Surface morphology of films deposited by potentiostatic methods proved to be more homogeneous than films obtained by potentiodynamic methods. When PTT is employed in photovoltaic cells, the best results are attained using the latter technique. In these solar cells, the polymer is used as electron donor while N1N'diheptyl-3,4,9,10-perylene-bis-carboximide (PTCDI-C7), deposited by vacuum sublimation, was the electron acceptor. The short circuit current is systematically small, probably due to the roughness of the polymer which induces high series resistance. In any case, it was demonstrated that the electrochemical method is suitable to prepare polymeric layers of electronic devices.