Pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-Based Copolymers as Donor Materials for Organic Photovoltaics

A new accepter unit, pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5-dione, was prepared and utilized for the synthesis of the conjugated polymers containing electron donor-acceptor pair for OPVs. Pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5-dione unit, regioisomer of the known pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione, is originated from the structure of stable synthetic pigment. The new conjugated polymers with 1,4-diphenylpyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5-dione, thiophene and carbazole were synthesized using Suzuki polymerization to generate P1 and P2. The solid films of P1 and P2 show absorption bands with maximum peaks at about 377, 554 and 374, 542 nm and the absorption onsets at 670 and 674 nm, corresponding to band gaps of 1.85 and 1.84 eV, respectively. To improve the hole mobility of the polymer with 1,4-bis(4-butylphenyl)-pyrrolo[3,2-b]-pyrrole-2,5-dione unit, which was previously reported by us, the butyl group at the 4-positions of the N-substituted phenyl group was substituted with hydrogen and methyl group. The field-effect hole mobility of P2 is $9.6{\times}10^{-5}cm^2/Vs$. The device with $P2:PC_{71}BM$ (1:2) showed $V_{OC}$ value of 0.84 V, $J_{SC}$ value of 5.10 $mA/cm^2$, and FF of 0.33, giving PCE of 1.42%.