Last Updated:

28/09/2020 - 13:25

The research article “Synthesis, electrochromic characterization and solar cell application of thiophene bearing alternating copolymers with azobenzene and coumarin subunits”, co-authored by METU members Prof. Levent Kamil Toppare and Prof. Ali Çırpan, has been published in Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A: Pure and Applied Chemistry.

In this study, azobenzene and coumarin functionalized thiophene comprising two copolymers (poly (4-((3‴-hexyl-[2,2′:5′,2″:5″,2‴-tetrathiophene] − 3′-yl)methoxy) - 2H-chromen-2-one (P1) and poly (1-(4-((4‴-hexyl-[2,2′: 5′, 2″: 5″, 2‴ - tetrathiophene] − 3′-yl) methoxy) phenyl) −2-phenyldiazene) (P2)), were designed and synthesized according to the donor–acceptor (D–A) approach to investigate their electrochemical, optical and photovoltaic behaviors. Among the various copolymerization methods to obtain P1 and P2, Stille copolymerization reaction was preferred. The HOMO and LUMO values were determined via cyclic voltammetry (CV) as −5.64 eV and −3.76 eV for P1 and −5.47 eV and −3.83 eV for P2, respectively. The optical band gaps of the polymers were calculated as 1.88 eV and 1.64 eV using UV-VIS spectrophotometer for P1 and P2. Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical studies for synthesized copolymers support their usage in organic solar cell applications. The organic solar cells (OSCs) were designed using polymer as an electron donor group and PC60BM as an electron acceptor group. Performances of OSCs based on P1 and P2 were investigated with the device structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/Polymer(P1/P2):PC60BM/LiF/Al. The preliminary solar cell results were reported here and studies are going on in our laboratories to increase the efficiency. The highest power conversion efficiency was obtained as 0.81% for P1 based device with 0.47 V open-circuit voltage (Voc) and 4.92 mA/cm2 current density (Jsc) values. The highest efficiency for P2 comprising device was found to be 0.96% under optimum conditions with 0.60 V and 4.98 mA/cm2, Voc and Jsc values, respectively.


Kalay, H., Yiğit, D., Hizalan, G., Güllü, M., Depci, T., Cirpan, A., . . . Hacioglu, S. O. (2020). Synthesis, electrochromic characterization and solar cell application of thiophene bearing alternating copolymers with azobenzene and coumarin subunits. Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A: Pure and Applied Chemistry, 57(8), 589-599. doi:10.1080/10601325.2020.1740598

 

Article access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10601325.2020.1740598


METU Authors

Prof. Levent Kamil Toppare

toppare@metu.edu.tr Scopus Author ID: 24442962900
About the author

Prof. Ali Çırpan

acirpan@metu.edu.tr Scopus Author ID: 6603201304
About the author ORCID: 0000-0003-3051-8380

Keywords:

Azobenzene; conducting polymers; coumarin; solar cell; thiophene bearing copolymers


Other authors:
Kalay, H., Yiğit, D., Hizalan, G. (METU), Güllü, M., Depci, T., & Hacioglu, S.O.