NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, cilt.40, sa.12, ss.10455-10464, 2016 (SCI-Expanded)
Three conjugated random copolymers comprising benzodithiophene and thiophene as the donor units and benzooxadiazole as the acceptor unit, spaced with thiophene and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene pi-bridges, were designed and synthesized. The effects of different linkers on the optical and electrochemical properties were investigated. The polymer containing a thieno[3,2-b]thiophene pi-bridge revealed a red shifted absorption compared to its thiophene analogue. Morphological and photovoltaic properties of a polymer:fullerene blend film were investigated. The blend of one of the random copolymers (P-2) and PC71BM ([6,6]-phenyl-C-71-butyric acid methyl ester) revealed a photovoltaic performance efficiency of 5.17% due to the high short-circuit current density and fill factor.