X-ray and Neutron Reflectivity and Electronic Properties of PCBM-poly(bromo)styrene Blends and Bilayers with Poly(3-hexylthiophene)

Published

March 1, 2012

Author(s)

Stuart B. Kirschner, Nathaniel P. Smith, Kevin A. Wepasnick, Howard E. Katz, Brian Kirby, Julie Borchers, Daniel H. Reich

Abstract

We used neutron reflectivity to complement x-ray reflectivity characterization of PCMB-based layers formed on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). Single-layer analyses were used to provide reliable scattering length density values for bilayer fitting. Atomic force microscopy analyses showed trends similar to the reflectivity experiments when observing upper surfaces. Styrene polymers added to PCBM in small concentrations (ca. 10%) led to processing advantages while retaining substantial electron mobility, about 0.001 cm₂/V s. The further introduction of a relatively heavy bromo atom substituent on the styrene rings greatly increased the film smoothness, as revealed by increases of the oscillation amplitudes in the reflectivity. In addition, the bromine heavy atom increased x-ray reflectivity scattering length density of the upper layer. Finally, we confirm that P3HT is capable of extracting PCBM from a subsequently deposited overlying layer, consistent with predictions based on published phase diagrams of the P3HT-PCBM system.

Citation

Journal of Materials Chemistry

Volume

22

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

Organic solar cells, polymer bilayers, neutron reflectivity

Citation

Kirschner, S. , Smith, N. , Wepasnick, K. , Katz, H. , Kirby, B. , Borchers, J. and Reich, D. (2012), X-ray and Neutron Reflectivity and Electronic Properties of PCBM-poly(bromo)styrene Blends and Bilayers with Poly(3-hexylthiophene), Journal of Materials Chemistry, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=909956 (Accessed July 18, 2024)