Controlling film morphology in conjugated polymer:fullerene blends with surface patterning.

We study the effects of patterned surface chemistry on the microscale and nanoscale morphology of solution-processed donor/acceptor polymer-blend films. Focusing on combinations of interest in polymer solar cells, we demonstrate that patterned surface chemistry can be used to tailor the film morphology of blends of semiconducting polymers such as poly-[2-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy)-5-methoxy-p-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV), poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT), poly[(9,9-dioctylflorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-benzothiadiazole)] (F8BT), and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N'-phenyl-1,4-phenylendiamine) (PFB) with the fullerene derivative, [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). We present a method for generating patterned, fullerene-terminated monolayers on gold surfaces and use microcontact printing and Dip-Pen Nanolithography (DPN) to pattern alkanethiols with both micro- and nanoscale features.

Complementary C3-symmetric donor-acceptor components: cocrystal structure and control of mesophase stability.

The overlap of pi-complementary planar organic frameworks is used to direct the assembly of extended columns of alternating donor and acceptor units. The electron-rich partner, hexaalkoxytriphenylene, is a familiar mesogen, while the electron-accepting complement is mellitic triimide, a new C(3)-symmetric building block that may be readily alkylated at its periphery without compromising its electron-accepting ability. A cocrystal of examples of the two components demonstrates pi-facial overlap of the complementary aromatic surfaces.