Effects of processing additives on nanoscale phase separation, crystallization and photovoltaic performance of solar cells based on mesogenic phthalocyanine

•Effect of processing additive on mesogenic-phthalocyanine based OSCs was reported.•Recrystallization of mesogenic phthalocyanine in DIO-solution phase was observed.•Mesogenic-phthalocyanine based OSCs are demonstrated to have a PCE of 4.2%.

A study on the effects of processing additives on the nanoscale phase separation, crystallization, and photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) thin films made of 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octahexylphthalocyanine (C6PcH2) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) via spin-casting for photovoltaic applications is reported. By incorporating various solvents as processing additives to a volume of a few percent, the separation of donor and acceptor phases in C6PcH2:PCBM thin films, which discussed by taking the photoluminescence quenching, Davydov splitting at the Q-band of the absorbance spectra and the surface nanomorphology into consideration, is improved, and the crystallinity of the discotic C6PcH2 molecules with hexagonal structures is reinforced. Photovoltaic cells with the optimum phase-separated BHJ materials and high crystallinity of the discotic C6PcH2 molecules are demonstrated to have a power conversion efficiency of 4.2%.

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