Photovoltaic cells made from conjugated polymers infiltrated into mesoporous titania

Abstract

We have made photovoltaic cells by infiltrating the conjugated polymer regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) into films of mesoporous titania, which are self-assembled using a structure directing block copolymer. The mesoporous titania films were chosen because they have pores with a diameter slightly less than 10 nm, which is the excitondiffusion length in many conjugated polymers, and because they provide continuous pathways for electrons to travel to an electrode after electron transfer has occurred. The photovoltaic cells have an external quantum efficiency of 10% and a 1.5% power conversion efficiency under monochromatic 514 nm light. Experiments that vary the amount of polymer in the titania films suggest that the performance of the cells is limited by poor hole transport in the polymer.