Research

Perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDI) compounds have long been of interest for use in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) due to their high extinction coefficients, low cost, reliable behavior as electron acceptors, and ease of synthetic manipulation. The present day industry standard OPV incorporates the P3HT donor with the PCBM acceptor in a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) style active layer. 1 Currently, PDI is unsuitable for BHJ style solution processing in conjunction with well-known conductive polymers. This difficulty is in part attributed to the tendency of the perylene core to form π- π aggregates in films, leading to large trapping sites in the active layer, poor morphology, and poor device performance. 2

My research goals are to gain control over PDI aggregation in films, and explore if this can be used to improve device performance.  

• Design and synthesize a PDI derivative with limited aggregation
• Study effects of disrupted aggregation upon solution processing with a
  conductive donor polymer (P3HT)
• Explore the photophysics of the new compounds and active layer films by
  femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy

1 Janssen, R.A.J., Hummelen, J.C., Sariciftci, N.S.. MRS Bulletin2005, 30, 33-36.
2 Irwin, M., Jones, B. Unpublished Work. Personal Communication.

Tetra-phenyl-PDI (TP-PDI)