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  4. Sensitization of fullerenes by covalent attachment of a diketopyrrolopyrrole chromophore
 
research article

Sensitization of fullerenes by covalent attachment of a diketopyrrolopyrrole chromophore

Banerji, Natalie Renuka  
•
Wang, Mingfeng
•
Fan, Jian
Show more
2012
Journal of Materials Chemistry

In an effort to develop new materials for organic solar cell applications, we have synthesized triads of 3,6-dithien-2-yl-2,5-dialkylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (DTDPP) covalently linked at the nitrogen positions to two [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid ester (PCB) units via alkyl chains of different lengths. We present here the excited-state properties of the compounds in solution, as investigated by (time-resolved) spectroscopy. The absorption spectra of the triads are the composite of the ones recorded with the separate fullerene and DTDPP parent molecules, indicating weak electronic coupling between the sub-units. However, the fluorescence quantum yield drops from 74% in pure DTDPP to <1% in the triads, in both polar o-dichlorobenzene (DCB) and non-polar toluene (TOL). According to the energy levels determined by cyclic voltammetry for the parent compounds, charge separation (CS) or excitation energy transfer (EET) could be responsible for the quenching. However, femtosecond-resolved transient absorption (TA) measurements revealed the quenching mechanism to be highly efficient EET from the DTDPP to the PCB moieties. Ultrafast fluorescence spectroscopy showed multiphasic EET dynamics, due to different molecular conformations induced by the flexibility of the alkyl linkers, with time constants ranging from the sub-picosecond to the 100–150 ps scale. The DTDPP chromophore thus acts as a sensitizer (or light-absorbing antenna) to channel light towards the fullerenes, which have low absorbance in the visible range. The ultrafast time scale of the EET leading to fast population of the PCB singlet excited state is particularly interesting for potential use of the systems to increase light harvesting in photovoltaic devices containing fullerenes.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1039/c2jm31508d
Web of Science ID

WOS:000305242300045

Author(s)
Banerji, Natalie Renuka  
Wang, Mingfeng
Fan, Jian
Chesnut, Eneida S.
Wudl, Fred
Moser, Jacques-E.  
Date Issued

2012

Publisher

Royal Society of Chemistry

Published in
Journal of Materials Chemistry
Volume

22

Start page

13286

End page

13294

Subjects

Polymer Solar-Cells

•

Photoinduced Electron-Transfer

•

Double-Cable Polymers

•

Low-Band-Gap

•

Organic Photovoltaics

•

Photophysical Properties

•

Pendant Fullerenes

•

Bulk

•

Copolymers

•

Donor

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
GR-MO  
Available on Infoscience
June 11, 2012
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/81495
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