Photovoltaic properties of benzotriazole containing alternating donor–acceptor copolymers: Effect of alkyl chain length

A series of variable alkyl chain length substituted donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers with thiophene ring as the donor and benzotriazole moiety as the acceptor has been investigated in bulk heterojunction solar cells. The optical and electrochemical properties showed that the absorption onsets and the energy levels of the copolymers were not affected by alkyl substitution revealing 1.9 eV of optical band gap. The morphologies of the blend film can be fine-tuned by increasing the chain length attached to the benzotriazole unit. Photovoltaic devices were fabricated using (6,6)-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC60BM) and (6,6)-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) as the acceptors. The maximum performance was achieved with a Voc of 0.75 V, Jsc of 3.70 mA/cm2, FF of 45% and a PCE of 1.23% for the PTBT-DA10:PC70BM device using 1:4 w/w ratio in chlorobenzene (CB).

Thiophene and benzotriazole units have been utilized as donor–acceptor type polymers in bulk-heterojunction solar cells varying the alkyl chain length. The resulting alternating polymers used as donor materials and have been investigated in terms of their photovoltaic performances.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► We investigate the optical and electrochemical properties of the polymers.
► We examines the polymers in terms of their photovoltaic performances.
► We characterized the topography using AFM in order to explain the losses in performances.