All-Conjugated Block Copolymers for Organic Photovoltaic Applications

Smith, Kendall Allen

All-Conjugated Block Copolymers for Organic Photovoltaic Applications

dc.contributor.advisor	Verduzco, Rafael	en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Chapman, Walter G	en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Hartgerink, Jeffrey D	en_US
dc.creator	Smith, Kendall Allen	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2016-01-27T17:14:35Z	en_US
dc.date.available	2016-01-27T17:14:35Z	en_US
dc.date.created	2014-12	en_US
dc.date.issued	2014-12-03	en_US
dc.date.submitted	December 2014	en_US
dc.date.updated	2016-01-27T17:14:35Z	en_US
dc.description	Info on supplemental videos starting on page 171.	en_US
dc.description.abstract	Conventional inorganic solar technologies are expensive due to the high cost of processing, while organic materials have significant cost advantages in the raw materials and ease of processing. Unfortunately, organic devices suffer from low efficiency due to difficulty in transporting charges to the electrodes. Typical devices mix the donor and acceptor components and anneal them to allow for phase separation. However, because the phase separation is uncontrolled, domains may be larger than optimal and isolated domains can be formed reducing efficiency. All-conjugated block copolymers have the potential to improve efficiency by creating an ordered structure with controlled domains and continuous pathways through self-assembly. In this work, the relationships between structure, optoelectronic properties, and processing conditions for these materials are systematically investigated using two routes to obtain the materials. In one route, functionalized catalysts are used to initiate controlled polymerizations of two different polymers. These well functionalized precursors are then joined together using copper catalyzed azide alkyne click chemistry. In a second route, a sequential polymerization route is employed where one polymer is synthesized with a well-defined end-group. The polymer is then used as a macroreagent to end-cap a Suzuki polycondensation reaction, yielding materials with direct conjugation between the blocks. The first route yields well-defined materials, whereas the second can access a broader variety of polymers. For all these materials, processing conditions are varied and the morphology of the all-conjugated block copolymers are analyzed by a combination of grazing-incidence X-ray scattering, neutron scattering and reflectivity, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Materials are found to self-assemble into thermodynamically stable structures with well-defined length scales. It is found that crystallization of either block is predominant in all block copolymers studied, but at intermediate ratios crystallization of both blocks is observed. Processing conditions such as casting temperature, annealing duration, and speed of quenching to room temperature are found to have important effects on thin film crystallinity and orientation of the π-π stacking direction of polymer crystallites. By varying the annealing duration and quenching speed, crystallization of either or both block can be obtained.	en_US
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Smith, Kendall Allen. "All-Conjugated Block Copolymers for Organic Photovoltaic Applications." (2014) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/88154">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/88154</a>.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1911/88154	en_US
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.rights	Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.	en_US
dc.subject	block copolymers	en_US
dc.subject	P3HT	en_US
dc.subject	poly(3-hexylthiophene)	en_US
dc.subject	P3DDT	en_US
dc.subject	poly(3-dodecylthiophene)	en_US
dc.subject	self-assembly	en_US
dc.subject	crystallization	en_US
dc.subject	organic photovoltaics	en_US
dc.subject	organic solar cells.	en_US
dc.title	All-Conjugated Block Copolymers for Organic Photovoltaic Applications	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US
dc.type.dcmi	MovingImage	en_US
dc.type.material	Text	en_US
thesis.degree.department	Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering	en_US
thesis.degree.discipline	Engineering	en_US
thesis.degree.grantor	Rice University	en_US
thesis.degree.level	Doctoral	en_US
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy	en_US