US5454880A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Conjugated polymer-acceptor heterojunctions; diodes, photodiodes, and photovoltaic cells
Assignee: University of California, San Diego
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Filing: 1994-01-12
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Granted: 1995-10-03
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Expires: 2014-01-12
Abstract
Abstract This invention relates generally to the fabrication of heterojunction diodes from semiconducting (conjugated) polymers and acceptors such as, for example, fullerenes, particularly Buckminsterfullerenes, C 60 , and more particularly to the use of such heterojunction structures as photodiodes and as photovoltaic cells.
Inventors
- 👤 N. S. Sariciftci
- 👤 Alan J. Heeger
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 04:13
CPC Classifications
B; B82; B82Y; B82Y10/00; G; G11; G11C; G11C13/00; G11C13/0002; G11C13/0009; G11C13/0014; G11C13/0016; G11C13/02; G11C13/025; H; H10; H10K; H10K85/00; H10K85/20; H10K85/211; G11C13/04; H10K30/00; H10K30/30; H10K30/50; H10K85/10; H10K85/111; H10K85/114; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/50; Y02E10/549
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
92 words
A method for the production of electricity from light, comprising the steps of: contacting with light a heterojunction device having a. a layer of an undoped conjugated polymer which serves as a donor, and adjacent thereto, a b. layer of an acceptor material comprising an acceptor selected from the group consisting of the group of fullerenes, substituted fullerenes, fullerene derivatives, polymers comprising fullerenes or substituted fullerenes and organic or polymeric acceptors, said acceptor material having electronegativity in the range to enable a photoinitiated charge separation process, and recovering electricity from said device.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
92 words
A method for the production of electricity from light, comprising the steps of: contacting with light a heterojunction device having a. a layer of an undoped conjugated polymer which serves as a donor, and adjacent thereto, a b. layer of an acceptor material comprising an acceptor selected from the group consisting of the group of fullerenes, substituted fullerenes, fullerene derivatives, polymers comprising fullerenes or substituted fullerenes and organic or polymeric acceptors, said acceptor material having electronegativity in the range to enable a photoinitiated charge separation process, and recovering electricity from said device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 1 where where one or more of the layers of the heterojunction device has been produced by applying onto a substrate in fluid form, either a solution or a melt at temperatures below 300° C.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
114 words
A method for the production of electricity from light, comprising the steps of: contacting with light, a heterojunction device having a. an undoped conjugated polymer which serves as a doner, and adjacent thereto, b. an acceptor material comprising an acceptor selected from the group consisting of fullerenes or fullerene derivatives, polymers comprising fullerenes or fullerene derivatives, and organic or polymeric acceptors, said acceptor material having electronegativity in the range to enable a photoinitiated charge separation process and wherein a heterojunction between the conjugated polymer and acceptor material has been formed in situ by controlled segregation during solidification from a solution containing both the donor and the acceptor moieties, and recovering electricity from said device.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
114 words
A method for the production of electricity from light, comprising the steps of: contacting with light, a heterojunction device having a. an undoped conjugated polymer which serves as a doner, and adjacent thereto, b. an acceptor material comprising an acceptor selected from the group consisting of fullerenes or fullerene derivatives, polymers comprising fullerenes or fullerene derivatives, and organic or polymeric acceptors, said acceptor material having electronegativity in the range to enable a photoinitiated charge separation process and wherein a heterojunction between the conjugated polymer and acceptor material has been formed in situ by controlled segregation during solidification from a solution containing both the donor and the acceptor moieties, and recovering electricity from said device.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
119 words
A method for the production of electricity from light, comprising the steps of: contacting with light, a heterojunction device having a. an undoped conjugated polymer which serves as a donor, and adjacent thereto, b. an acceptor material comprising an acceptor selected from the group consisting of fullerenes or fullerene derivatives, polymers comprising fullerenes or fullerene derivatives, and organic or polymeric acceptors, said acceptor material having electronegativity in the range to enable a photoinitiated charge separation process and wherein a heterojunction between the conjugated polymer and acceptor material is formed in situ by mixing two immiscible liquid constituents, one comprising the donor and the other comprising the acceptor and casting as a solid film, and recovering electricity from said junction.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
119 words
A method for the production of electricity from light, comprising the steps of: contacting with light, a heterojunction device having a. an undoped conjugated polymer which serves as a donor, and adjacent thereto, b. an acceptor material comprising an acceptor selected from the group consisting of fullerenes or fullerene derivatives, polymers comprising fullerenes or fullerene derivatives, and organic or polymeric acceptors, said acceptor material having electronegativity in the range to enable a photoinitiated charge separation process and wherein a heterojunction between the conjugated polymer and acceptor material is formed in situ by mixing two immiscible liquid constituents, one comprising the donor and the other comprising the acceptor and casting as a solid film, and recovering electricity from said junction.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
57 words
The method of anyone of claims 1 through 4 where the heterojunction device additionally comprises a contact electrode of a transparent film of polyaniline or a transparent conducting polyblend of polyaniline with an amorphous host polymer, where each two contacting electrodes comprising transparent films of polyaniline or transparent conducting polyblends of polyaniline with an amorphous host polymer.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
33 words
The method of anyone claims 1 through 4 where the heterojunction device additionally comprises two contacting electrodes comprising transparent films of polyaniline or transparent conducting polyblends of polyaniline with an amorphous host polymer.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
30 words
The method of anyone of claims 1 through 4 where the heterojunction device additionally comprises a solid inorganic crystalline or glassy substrate or polymer substrate precoated with a transparent electrode.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
30 words
The method of anyone of claims 1 through 4 where the heterojunction device additionally comprises a solid inorganic crystalline or glassy substrate or polymer substrate precoated with a metal electrode.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
27 words
The method of anyone of claims 1 through 4 where the heterojunction device additionally comprises a flexible polymer substrate precoated with a transparent flexible conducting polymer electrode.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
25 words
The method of anyone of claims 1 through 4 where the heterojunction device additionally comprises a flexible polymer substrate precoated with a flexible metal electrode.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
34 words
The method of anyone of claims 1 through 4 where the heterojunction device additionally comprises a first flexible polymer substrate contact precoated with a flexible metal electrode, and a second flexible conducting layer contact.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
34 words
The method of anyone of claims 1 through 4 where the heterojunction device additionally comprises a flexible polymer substrate contact precoated with a transparent flexible conducting polymer electrode and a second conducting polymer contact.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
21 words
The method of anyone of claims 1 through 4 where the acceptor is a fullerene or a polymer comprising a fullerene.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
23 words
The method of anyone, of claims 1 through 4 where the acceptor is a polymer selected from polyquinoline or a derivative of polyquinoline.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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