A team of researchers led by Colin Nuckolls, Columbia University, New York, USA, have fabricated a solar cell containing a supramolecular complex between a fullerene (PCBM) and a coronene derivative (6-DBTTC). The team had previously shown how the spherical fullerene derivative and the concave coronene molecule form a “ball-and-socket” complex where the fullerene is surrounded by the electron-rich coronene. They subsequently investigated if the complex could be used in solar cells, and found that maximum power conversion efficiency was achieved when the coronene/fullerene ratio was 1:2.
Future research includes improving the light absorption properties of the component molecules of the complex.
- A Supramolecular Complex in Small-Molecule Solar Cells based on Contorted Aromatic Molecules,
Seok Ju Kang, Jong Bok Kim, Chien-Yang Chiu, Seokhoon Ahn, Theanne Schiros, Stephanie S. Lee, Kevin G. Yager, Michael F. Toney, Yueh-Lin Loo, Colin Nuckolls,
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 8594–8597.
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201203330 - Angew. Chem. 2012, 124, 8722–8725.
DOI: 10.1002/ange.201203330
