Transport & Morphology - Effect on Nongeminate Recombination in Organic Solar Cells (TEMET NOSCE)

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Carsten Deibel; Professor Dr. Peter Müller-Buschbaum
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2016 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 279635873

While organic photovoltaics have experienced continued efficiency improvements in recent years, several fundamental aspects of the dominant loss mechanism, nongeminate recombination, are still not understood. The aim of the TEMET NOSCE project is to understand the role of the different aspects of charge transport in nongeminate recombination and their relationship to the morphology of the photoactive layer. Therefore, we plan to measure the recombination rate, charge carrier concentration, electron and hole mobility in a number of systematically varied samples under comparable experimental conditions. These measurements are complemented with a detailed study of the morphology of the active layer of these samples with advanced X-ray techniques. The recombination and morphology characterizations will then be combined in kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to test and develop new physical models for nongeminate recombination. This multi-methodological approach will provide the basis for a fundamental understanding of the relationship between performance, properties, and morphology in organic photovoltaics.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants