Processing follows function: pushing the formation of self-assembled monolayers to high-throughput compatible time scales.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of organic molecules can be used to tune interface energetics and thereby improve charge carrier injection at metal-semiconductor contacts. We investigate the compatibility of SAM formation with high-throughput processing techniques. Therefore, we examine the quality of SAMs, in terms of work function shift and chemical composition as measured with photoelectron and infrared spectroscopy and in dependency on molecular exposure during SAM formation.

Aggregation-dependent photovoltaic properties of squaraine/PC61BM bulk heterojunctions.

In this study, we investigated bulk-heterojunction solar cells composed of PC(61)BM and squaraine dyes with different donor subunits. Both, H- and J-aggregates, have been observed for the squaraine dyes in the mixture, even for the same dye depending on the annealing conditions of the blends. Supramolecular organization of the squaraine dyes noticeably affects solar cell performance.

Bulk heterojunction organic solar cells based on merocyanine colorants.

Traditional low-molecular weight colorants that are widely applied in textile coloration, for printing purposes and nonlinear optics, now afford bulk heterojunction solar cells in combination with soluble C(60) fullerene derivative PCBM with power conversion efficiencies up to 1.7% under standard solar radiation.