The Influence of Conjugated Polymer Side Chain Manipulation on the Efficiency and Stability of Polymer Solar Cells.

The stability of polymer solar cells (PSCs) can be influenced by the introduction of particular moieties on the conjugated polymer side chains. In this study, two series of donor-acceptor copolymers, based on bis(thienyl)dialkoxybenzene donor and benzo[][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BT) or thiazolo[5,4-]thiazole (TzTz) acceptor units, were selected toward effective device scalability by roll-coating. The influence of the partial exchange (5% or 10%) of the solubilizing 2-hexyldecyloxy by alternative 2-phenylethoxy groups on efficiency and stability was investigated.

TOF-SIMS investigation of degradation pathways occurring in a variety of organic photovoltaic devices--the ISOS-3 inter-laboratory collaboration.

The present work is the fourth (and final) contribution to an inter-laboratory collaboration that was planned at the 3rd International Summit on Organic Photovoltaic Stability (ISOS-3). The collaboration involved six laboratories capable of producing seven distinct sets of OPV devices that were degraded under well-defined conditions in accordance with the ISOS-3 protocols. The degradation experiments lasted up to 1830 hours and involved more than 300 cells on more than 100 devices.

On the stability of a variety of organic photovoltaic devices by IPCE and in situ IPCE analyses--the ISOS-3 inter-laboratory collaboration.

This work is part of the inter-laboratory collaboration to study the stability of seven distinct sets of state-of-the-art organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices prepared by leading research laboratories. All devices have been shipped to and degraded at RISØ-DTU up to 1830 hours in accordance with established ISOS-3 protocols under defined illumination conditions. In this work, we apply the Incident Photon-to-Electron Conversion Efficiency (IPCE) and the in situ IPCE techniques to determine the relation between solar cell performance and solar cell stability.

Degradation patterns in water and oxygen of an inverted polymer solar cell.

The spatial distribution of reaction products in multilayer polymer solar cells induced by water and oxygen atmospheres was mapped and used to elucidate the degradation patterns and failure mechanisms in an inverted polymer solar cell. The active material comprised a bulk heterojunction formed by poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) sandwiched between a layer of zinc oxide and a layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) that acted as, respectively, electron and hole transporting layers between the active material and the two electrodes indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and printed silver. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) in conjunction with isotopic labeling using H(2)(18)O and (18)O(2) enabled detailed information on where and to what extent uptake took place.

Effects of cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonism and antagonism on SKF81297-induced dyskinesia and haloperidol-induced dystonia in Cebus apella monkeys.

Antipsychotic drugs may cause extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), such as dyskinesia and dystonia. These effects are believed to involve dysfunctional striatal dopamine transmission. Patients with schizophrenia show increased prevalence of cannabis abuse and this has been linked to severity of EPS.

Effects of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist CP55,940 and antagonist SR141716A on d-amphetamine-induced behaviours in Cebus monkeys.

Several clinical studies have shown that alterations in the cannabinoid system in the brain may be associated with schizophrenia. Although evidence points towards an antipsychotic potential for cannabinoid antagonists, experimental studies have shown inconsistent behavioural effects of cannabinoid ligands within and across species. The aim of the present study was to explore these contradictory findings in a non-human primate model, predictive of antipsychotic efficacy in humans.