Spectral Characteristics of C60-Conducting Polymer Junctions: Various Molecular D-A Type Photocells

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Abstract
We have found recently that thin film layered heterojunction between C60 and conducting polymer, like poly(3-alkylthiophene) (PAT) shows a photovoltaic effect due to photoinduced charge transfer at the interface. Here we describe two other examples of such photocells in RO-PPV/C60 and PPP/C60 heterojunctions and study their spectral characteristics. Contrary to conventional inorganic semiconductor p-n junction photocells, the C60-PAT junction can be rather viewed as molecular donor-acceptor (D-A) type photocell in which the processes of photogeneration and separation of charge carriers are quite distinct. In a p-n junction free electron-hole pairs are known to be primarily photogenerated at interband transition and then separated in the internal electric field of the barrier, while in D-A molecular photocell mainly neutral excitons are first created by light, with charges being primarily separated at the narrow interface region due to D-A type intermolecular charge transfer interactions. We analyze how this processes depend on the wavelength of the pumping light and on the polarity and magnitude of the applied voltage.