Composition-dependent phase separation effects of organic solar cells using P3HT:PCBM as active layer and chromium oxide as hole transporting layer

Phase separation of the poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) active layer (ATL) was investigated by varying their relative ratio in the organic solar cells (OSCs). With the help of the UV/visible spectrophotometer, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope, we found that the cluster of PCBM at the interface or surface was affected by Al cathode, the composition of the blends and thermal annealing. The disc-like shape crystals of PCBM substituted for the needle-like ones at higher PCBM compositions at the ATL/Al interface, which led to stronger contacts and bigger contact area. It could make short circuit current density increase, but may affect the blend morphology and result in parallel resistance and open circuit voltage decreased with the PCBM ratio increasing from 40 to 60%. The microstructure of the P3HT:PCBM ATL, determined by the composition dependent phase separation, supported the optimized performance of the OSCs with the composition of 40–50% PCBM.