Structure-Property Optimizations of Semiconducting Polymers for Organic Solar Cells

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Many advances in organic photovoltaic efficiency are not yet fully understood and new insight into structure-property relationships is required in order to push this technology into broad commercial use. The aim of this work is to utilize synthetic strategies to create new molecular designs for donor polymer systems used in organic solar cells. Of particular interest are the underexplored issues surrounding the popular donor polymers benzodithiophene-thienothiophene (PBnDT-TT) and benzodithiophene-fluorinated triazole (PBnDT-FTAZ) and determining how to take advantage of high dielectric constant materials. In response to structural and electronic limitations, this work will focus on: (1) improving the synthesis of the thienothiazole (TTz) moiety to tune the energy levels of PBnD-TT, (2) advantageously utilizing electron-withdrawing substituents to further functionalize TTz-based polymers, (3) designing a high dielectric constant polymer to enhance exciton splitting at the donor/acceptor interface, and (4) structure-property optimizations to increase open circuit voltage and decrease band gap in fluorinated triazole polymers. The unifying motivation behind each of these projects is establishing synthetic strategies to achieve creative molecular designs that will ultimately improve performance in organic solar cells.

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