Publication: RSC Advances, Issue 5

Abstract:

In this work, we present the first demonstration of tuning the work function of polyaniline by controlling the concentration level of camphorsulfonic acid as a protonic acid dopant and m-cresol as a solvent. Optical, thermal, structural, and electronic properties, along with surface topography and elemental analysis of protonated polyaniline, were studied in detail to investigate the effect of camphorsulfonic acid on the work function of polyaniline. The results showed that an increase in camphorsulfonic acid content induces a gradual transformation in the polyaniline structure from an emeraldine base to an emeraldine salt phase, which is associated with an increase in electrical conductivity and an improvement in crystallinity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to evaluate the work function and to determine the elemental composition of the surface and several atomic layers beneath the surface. The results showed that increasing the camphorsulfonic acid content from quarter protonated to fully protonated leads to an increase in the work function of polyaniline from 4.42 ± 0.14 eV to 4.78 ± 0.13 eV.

The post Tuning the Work Function of Polyaniline via Camphorsulfonic Acid: An X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Investigation appeared first on Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences.

Publication: Energy Technology, Volume 2, Issue 7

Abstract:

We present the successful synthesis of a modified poly(3-hexyl)thiophene (P3HT) donor polymer with benzophenone (P3HTB) substitution. The triplet-sensitizer (benzophenone)-containing polymer (P3HTB) was synthesized by the oxidative copolymerization of 3-hexylthiophene and benzopheneone-modified thiophene [2-phenyl-2-(4-(thiophen-3-yl)phenyl)-1,3-dioxolane] and deprotecting the cyclic ketal group. The resulting polymer was characterized by using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Different ratios of the copolymer (P3HTB) and pristine P3HT mixtures were used for the fabrication and characterization of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) cells, with [6,6]-Phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) used as the acceptor in fabricating the active layers. An increase in power conversion efficiency (≈15 %) was observed with devices fabricated with 2.5 and 5 wt % P3HTB mixed with P3HT compared to those fabricated with P3HT alone.

The post Triplet Sensitizer Modification of Poly(3-hexyl)thiophene (P3HT) for Increased Efficiency in Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaic Devices appeared first on Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences.