Mechanical Behavior of Polymer-Fullerene Blends for Photovoltaic Applications

用于光伏应用的聚合物-富勒烯共混物的机械行为

• 批准号: 1200340
• 负责人: Brendan O'Connor
• 金额: $ 35.98万
• 依托单位: North Carolina State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-05-01 至 2016-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1200340&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Mechanical; Behavior; Polymer; Fullerene; Blends

This grant provides funding to study relationships between the mechanical behavior and optoelectronic performance of polymer-fullerene blend films for photovoltaic device applications, i.e. solar cells. The principle investigators will consider how morphological features of the blend film affect both the mechanical and electrical properties of the active layers, and how these properties are coupled and modified through material selection and processing conditions. A focus will be on characterizing the mechanical properties and the physical mechanisms of performance variation in devices for different deformation modes. To analyze this system, a combination of experimental and computational investigations will be conducted. The experimental research will combine thin-film mechanics and optoelectronic device measurements along with detailed morphological characterization. A micromechanical model will be developed based on a multi-phase model consisting of pure polymer and fullerene phases, and a miscible phase. A non-linear finite element method will then be applied to integrate the component models.Organic solar cells based on polymer-fullerene heterojunctions are a promising technology to provide renewable energy that is cost competitive with fossil fuel sources. Critical to the commercial success of this technology is the ability to flex the solar cell during both fabrication and operation. If successful, this research will help guide the development of highly flexible and durable organic solar cells with improved performance over current state of the art devices. Determining the fundamental relationships between the mechanical and electrical properties of the polymer-fullerene film will also provide new insights into the role of film morphology in the energy conversion process and suggest processing strategies that maximize device performance. In addition to the research findings, graduate students involved in the grant will be trained in a highly interdisciplinary research environment. The principle investigators will also contribute to an engineering summer camp for high school students that focuses on solar power technologies.

该赠款为研究用于光伏设备应用（即太阳能电池）的聚合物 - 富勒烯混合膜的机械行为和光电性能之间的关系提供了资金。原理研究人员将考虑混合膜的形态特征如何影响活性层的机械性和电气性能，以及如何通过材料选择和加工条件对这些特性进行耦合和修饰。一个重点将放在表征不同变形模式的设备中性能变化的机械性能和物理机制上。为了分析该系统，将进行实验和计算研究的组合。实验研究将结合薄膜力学和光电设备测量以及详细的形态表征。将基于由纯聚合物和富勒烯相组成的多相模型以及一个可混杂的阶段开发微机械模型。然后，将采用一种非线性有限元方法来整合组件模型。基于聚合物 - 富勒烯异质界的有机太阳能电池是一项有希望的技术，可提供可再生能源，具有与化石燃料源具有成本竞争力的可再生能源。这项技术的商业成功至关重要的是在制造和操作过程中都可以弯曲太阳能电池。如果成功，这项研究将有助于指导高度柔韧和耐用的有机太阳能电池的开发，并且在当前的最新设备中的性能提高了。确定聚合物 - 富勒烯膜的机械和电气性能之间的基本关系还将为膜形态在能量转化过程中的作用提供新的见解，并提出最大程度地提高设备性能的处理策略。除了研究结果外，参与赠款的研究生还将在高度跨学科的研究环境中进行培训。主要调查人员还将为高中生的工程夏令营做出贡献，专注于太阳能技术。