In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, Prof. Yang Yang of the University of California-Los Angeles will carry out research that aims to achieve high performance polymer solar cells. This will be achieved via design and synthesis of novel n- and p-type organic materials with desired properties to enhance the optical absorption, appropriate energy levels to optimize the open circuit voltage; and high carrier mobility to enhance the short circuit current. These new materials will be applied to two categories of photovoltaic devices including (1) Polymer solar cells using new designed p-type materials as electron donors and PCBM as the electron acceptor, (2) Non-fullerene based polymer solar cell using new synthesized n-type materials as electron acceptors and new designed or commercially available p-type materials as electron donors. The intellectual merit of the research will be embodied in both basic scientific research with important technological impacts. In this international collaborative program with Prof. Yongfan Li in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Prof. Yang will collaborate with Li's group closely by weekly Internet meetings, exchange students, and frequent visits by the PIs, resulting in a productive situation for education and research. In addition to the broader scientific impact in this proposed research, Prof. Yang aims to have six to eight PhDs produced in this field. It is also our intention to include 6 undergraduate students to work with our PhD students to become familiar with the field of organic electronics. Finally, two mini-symposiums will be held, one in the second year (UCLA) and one in the third year (Beijing), to enhance the intellectual exchange in the organic photovoltaic area.
This international collaborative research project is supported jointly by the NSF and the National Science Foundation of China.
