Electrical Characterization of Polymeric Materials in Controlled Environments for Solar Cells

This proposal will enable the acquisition of a state-of-the-art integrated glovebox laboratory for the electrical characterization of polymers under inert environments. The proposed instrument will significantly enhance our capabilities for collaborative and interdisciplinary research and education in the field of polymer semiconductors for organic photovoltaics. Lightweight andflexible photovoltaics have the potential to meet crucial needs for DoD. The proposed instrument will integrate components from leading vendors such as MBraun, Solartron and Newport as well as custom-built zone-annealing and electric-field alignment equipment to create a unique laboratory capable of processing and testing of polymer semiconductors without exposing thematerials to ambient at any point. This new capability will be transformative for on-going projects supported by ONR, because it will enhance throughput in the fabrication and testing of organic solar cell devices, and add capabilities in the control of temperature during electrical testing in inert environments. Although various glovebox systems exist, an equivalent instrument with integrated processing and testing that can control the sample temperature for -180 oC to 300 oC is currently unavailable at Penn State. Thus, this new instrument will bring new capabilities for processing and testing of organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors, and increase throughput from 16 to 64 devices a day. The proposed equipment will serve as critical infrastructure for student training, education and outreach and expose students to cutting edge processing and testing approaches.