Fabrication and characterization of poly(fullerenes) thin films: application in organic photovoltaics (OPVs)

• Grant number: 19/16416-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): May 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Clarissa de Almeida Olivati
• Grantee: Bárbara Banheti Sant'Anna
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50869-6 - INCT 2014: on Organic Electronics, AP.TEM

Abstract

The energy consumed by us on the planet has as its main source non-renewable sources, and the use of fossil fuels is the most common among them. In addition, it represents a major effort in terms of energy demand, which increases the ability to keep pace with population growth, plus the fact of pollution from excessive use of such sources. Therefore, it is more than necessary to find a sustainable way to replace them. An alternative to generate clean and sustainable energy is the use of organic solar cells, which use the Sun as the most useful source, since it is a relatively inexhaustible source of energy. In order to improve the efficiency of organic devices, materials such as polymersand fullerenes have been used for generation, dissociation and transport of charge carriers. Fullerenes, such as C60, have the difficulty of reproducing their chemical structure in a controlled manner and the strong tendency of C60 to form dimers and aggregates in an uncontrolled manner. Thus, an attempt to solve these problems is the incorporation of polymers to the fullerene. In this context, the aim of this project is the fabrication and characterization of polyfullerenes thin films with different chain sizes, and study its applicability as electron acceptors in organic photovoltaic devices. The thin films will be fabricated using the Langmuir-Blodgett and Langmuir-Schaefer techniques, which allow higher organization at the molecular level than other deposition techniques. The information about morphology and uniformity of the thin films will be obtained through spectroscopic measurements (UV-vis absorption, FTIR, etc.) and microscopy (AFM, SEM, etc.). The thin films will be characterized electrically by measurements of direct current, emphasizing the transport mechanisms and electrical conductivity.