通过精确设定不同的退火环境气压, 实现对P3HT(Poly(3-hexylthiophene -2,5-diyl)与PCBM(［6,6］-Phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester)体系中聚噻吩结晶度以及共混相分离程度的控制, 并在此基础上制备了结构为ITO/PEDOT∶PSS/P3HT∶PCBM/Al的正型光伏器件。在允许的压强设定范围内, 器件各项性能参数均随退火环境压强的增大表现出先升高后下降的变化规律, 并统一于气压设定为1 500 mTorr时获得最大值。从活性层的紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱中发现P3HT在510 nm吸收峰以及550和600 nm肩峰附近的吸收强度随退火气压升高而增大, 在气压为1 500 mTorr时达到最高, 吸收强度的提升源于聚合物分子π—π堆叠的增加。原子力显微镜(AFM)进一步分析结果表明, 高气压环境(>1 000 mTorr)能够促进P3HT∶PCBM共混组分在退火过程中形成较大程度的相分离, 而当环境压强合适时(1 500 mTorr)适度的相分离利于聚合物形成良好有序结晶, 从而能够提升活性层内部载流子传输能力, 保证较高的短路电流与填充因子, 制备的器件也因此表现出良好的光伏性能, 光电转化效率达到3.56%。

The considerable performance enhancement of P3HT-based solar cell after thermal annealing can be attributed to the thermodynamically driven partial crystallization and phase segregation of each component. In the present work, thermal annealing was executed by delivering P3HT∶PCBM blend films onto the preheated susceptor in a PECVD chamber filled with high purity nitrogen gas. The pressure of inner chamber could be set steadily and precisely in the range of 1 to 1 850 mTorr at 150 ℃. It was found that the phase segregation scale of two components was tuned to a certain extent by varying the annealing pressure, whereas the polymer crystallinity was slightly affected. According to the pressure settings, polymer solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated in the following structure: ITO/PEDOT∶PSS/P3HT∶PCBM/Al. All of the device parameters exhibited the similar trend—an initial increase followed by a decrease, and reached a peak at 1 500 mTorr with successive increase in annealing setting pressure. PSC annealed under 1 500 mTorr shows overall high performances with the power conversion efficiency up to 3.56%. The UV-Vis absorption spectra of annealed blend films shows that the vibronic absorption peaks (shoulders) at 510, 550 and 600 nm became more pronounced under higher setting pressure, which is attributed to better crystalline P3HT with increased π—π stacking of polymer molecules. The AFM results further suggest that high annealing pressure (>1 000 mTorr) promoted the domain formations of P3HT or PCBM;moreover, a moderate phase segregation, as a result of an appropriate annealing pressure (1 500 mTorr), facilitates polymer crystallization which ensures the high charge (hole) mobility and consequently increased short-circuit current and fill factor.