Exploring the Origin of High Thermal Stability of the Performance of -Quaternary All-Polymer Solar Cells.

As all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) have achieved impressive power conversion efficiencies (PCEs), extending their lifetime under long-term operation is also increasingly important. To address this issue, in this study, a new -quaternary blend composed of conjugated block copolymer donors and acceptors, PM6--TT:-PYT, is introduced as the active layer for all-PSCs. Compared to the all-PSC based on the traditional binary blend, PM6:BTTP-T, those based on -quaternary active layer exhibited significantly improved thermal stability after thermal annealing under harsh conditions of 150 °C in an ambient atmosphere.

Uniform Silver Nanowire Patterned Electrode on Robust PEN Substrate Using Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) Underlayer.

Silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes are among the most essential flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) emerging as promising alternatives to brittle indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. The polymer comprising the plastic substrate to which the AgNWs are applied must also satisfy the mechanical requirements of the final device and withstand the device processing conditions. However, AgNW-based FTEs have some limitations, such as poor adhesion to coated plastic substrates, surface roughness, and difficulty in patterning.

Patterned Sandwich-Type Silver Nanowire-Based Flexible Electrode by Photolithography.

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are one of the important flexible electrode material candidates that can replace brittle indium tin oxide (ITO). In this work, we demonstrated novel patterned sandwich-type AgNW-based transparent electrodes easily prepared using the photolithography method for application in flexible devices. A cross-linked underlayer was introduced to increase the adhesion properties between a poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate and AgNWs, and as a result, a uniform AgNW layer was easily deposited.

Improved Stability of All-Polymer Solar Cells Using Crosslinkable Donor and Acceptor Polymers Bearing Vinyl Moieties in the Side-Chains.

Crosslinkable polymers have attracted tremendous attention in various fields of science and technology, owing to their potential utilization in applications requiring dimensional and morphological stability under thermal and mechanical stress. In this study, random terpolymers were successfully synthesized by introducing thiophene-based monomers bearing vinyl functional groups in the side-chain of the polymer donor () and polymer acceptor () structures. The physical properties of the blend films of and before and after thermal crosslinking were extensively investigated and compared to those of the homogeneous individual polymer films.