Challenges Found When Patterning Semiconducting Polymers with Electric Fields for Organic Solar Cell Applications
Figure 2
Molecular structure of the semiconducting polymers MEH-PPV and MDMO-PPV and the experimental EHP setup for the fabrication of organic solar cells. (a) A thin electron-donor polymer film is sandwiched between two electrodes separated by a distance using insulating spacers. (b) A voltage applied across the electrodes induces instabilities in the film that evolve with a characteristic wavelength λ. (c) To complete the solar cell, the patterned polymer film is covered by an electron acceptor material and a top electrode. Arrows represent sunlight exciting the solar cell. More elaborated experimental setups could involve the destabilization of donor-acceptor polymer bilayers directly or the guided destabilization via patterned electrodes or prestructured polymer films [11].
