Side Chain Influence on the Morphology and Photovoltaic Performance of 5-Fluoro-6-alkyloxybenzothiadiazole and Benzodithiophene Based Conjugated Polymers

Three conjugated polymers (P1-P3) with benzodithiophene derivatives as the donor unit, 5-fluoro-6-(2-hexyldecyloxy)-4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5] thiadiazole as the acceptor unit and thiophene as the spacer were designed, synthesized, and used as donor materials for polymer solar cells (PSCs). The influence of side chains at the benzodithiophene unit on the performance of PSCs was investigated. PSCs with the blend of P2:PC71BM (1:2, by weight) as the active layer show the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.88%, with an open circuit voltage (V-oc) of 0.76 V, a short circuit current (J(sc)) of 14.67 mA/cm(2), and a fill factor (FF) of 0.62. Our research revealed that the variation of side chains had a great influence on the morphology of blend films, which is crucial to the performance of PSCs. As indicated by transmission electron microscopy, the blends of P1:PC71BM (1:2) and P2:PC71BM (1:2) formed nanofibers, whereas the blends of P3:PC71BM (1:2) formed spherical domains. Therefore, we concluded that formation of a more interpenetrating phase-separated donor-acceptor network with a larger interfacial area and proper percolation in the blends from P1 to P2 is mainly responsible for better performance in the corresponding devices.