The effect of polymer concentration in chloroform on P3HT:PCBM nanoparticulate organic photovoltaic device performance

Investigations about the effect of concentration of polymer (1:1 Poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)) in chloroform have been performed. Six different concentrations varying from 36 mg/ml to 179 mg/ml, were used to prepare P3HT:PCBM nanoparticulate organic photovoltaic (NP-OPV) devices. Using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), KLA-Tencor Alpha Step 500 profilometer, UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), we analyze and optimize the concentration of polymer in chloroform in producing NP-OPV devices. Higher concentration resulting in a bigger size of nanoparticle and thicker thin film we have, so that affects the efficiency of NP-OPV devices. In this investigation, the highest efficiency was achieved when using a concentration of 54 mg/ml. (paper)