p-OXA-X: A new Oligo photosensitizer for organic solar cells

A two-dimensional conjugated oligo p-phenylenevinylene-based photoactive electron donor (p-OXA-X) has been utilized for harvesting incident light and transferring electrons to generate charge carriers in PCBM-based solar cells demonstrating AM1.5 efficiencies of ∼0.6% and IPCE values of ∼27% at 400 nm. Nanoscale morphology variations induced in the photoactive layer by varied processing conditions were studied by a combination of SEM, AFM, and profilometry showing that thinner films with minimal surface roughness provided the best photovoltaic performance.