| Poly(3-thiophene ethanol) (P3ThEt)-graft-polystyrene (PSt) bottlebrushes were synthesized
and applied in active layers of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):phenyl-C71-butyric acid
methyl ester (PC71BM) solar cells as the morphology compatibilizers. In presence of 15wt%
of P3ThEt-graft-PSt bottlebrush compatibilizers, the P3HT crystallite dimensions (D(100) =
45.67 nm and D(020) = 30.12 nm) and Rmean of PCBM clusters (= 38.96 nm) were the largest
and the layer spacings were all the smallest (d(100) = 1.054 nm and d(020) = 0.301 nm, and
d(PCBM) = 0.406 nm). These dimensional properties led to better hole (1.9 × 10
–3cm
2
V
–1
s
–1
) and electron (1.2 × 10
–2 cm
2
V
–1
s
–1
) mobilities. Weight content of bottlebrushes was
optimized in 15wt%, and thereby the best photovoltaic results subsuming the maximum cell
efficiency of 5.37% were obtained in this turning point (12.75 mA cm
–2
, 61%, 0.69 V). By
exceeding the optimum weight percentage, all photovoltaic features plummeted and reached
even less than the pristine devices (1.92% versus 2.24%). After an optimum weight
percentage of compatibilizers, further enhancement in bottlebrush content in active layer
saturated and finally oversaturated the system and, consequently, the cell parameters
significantly decreased. Accumulation of bottlebrushes in interfaces and donor/acceptor
phases ruined the system function even with large and packed P3HT crystallites and
PC71BM clusters |