Thienyl analog of 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)propyl-1-phenyl-[6,6]-methanofullerene for bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices in combination with polythiophenes

An analog of 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)propyl-1-phenyl-[6,6]-methanofullerene (PCBM) was designed with the aim of improving miscibility with polythiophene donors, especially poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT). In the title compound the phenyl group from PCBM is replaced by a thienyl group, it is named 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)propyl-1-thienyl-[6,6]-methanofullerene (ThCBM). In this letter, experimental studies of the morphology, charge transport, and solar cell performance in blends of P3HT:ThCBM are reported. This may open a route for the design of more specific fullerene based acceptor materials, which may optimize the morphology of bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices with respect to their transport. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.