Comparison of the mechanical properties of polymer blend and main-chain conjugated copolymer films with donor–acceptor heterojunctions

Young Un Kim, Boo Soo Ma, Youngno Kim, Su Hong Park, Hungu Kang, Hyo Jae Yoon, Min Ju Cho, Taek Soo Kim, Jung Hyun Kim, Dong Hoon Choi

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    15 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    To implement a highly flexible polymer solar cell (PSC), the mechanical properties of the material constituting the active layer are considered crucial, having a significant influence on the stability of the device. In this study, the mechanical properties of a main-chain conjugated copolymer (PBDT2T-b-PNDI2T) containing donor- and acceptor-based macromolecular species in the polymer backbone was measured and compared with that of donor and acceptor polymer blend film (P(BDT2T):P(NDI2T)). It was observed that the PBDT2T-b-PNDI2T active layer exhibited a higher crack-onset-strain and toughness compared to P(BDT2T):P(NDI2T) active layer. Correspondingly, the YTRON/polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) based flexible PSC with a PBDT2T-b-PNDI2T active layer was used, which exhibited superior mechanical stability under multiple bending conditions. The results of this study indicate that flexible PSCs with excellent durability can be developed by replacing the polymer blend used for all-PSCs with PBDT2T-b-PNDI2T as the active layer material for highly efficient future applications.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number128952
    JournalChemical Engineering Journal
    Volume415
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2021 Jul 1

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2020R1I1A1A01066897, 2019R1A2C2002647, 2017K1A3A1A05069766, and 2019R1A6A1A11044070).

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2021

    Keywords

    • Bending stability
    • Flexible device
    • Mechanical property
    • Polymer solar cell
    • Semiconducting polymers

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemistry
    • Environmental Chemistry
    • General Chemical Engineering
    • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

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