Organic Electronics: Electrostatically Self-Assembled Nonconjugated Polyelectrolytes as an Ideal Interfacial Layer for Inverted Polymer Solar Cells (Adv. Mater. 22/2012)

A highly efficient, flexible polymer inverted solar cell is fabricated by K. Lee and co-workers from various colored inks. In the image, an enlarged chemical structure of the interface between an indium tin oxide (ITO) cathode (sky-blue) and a nonconjugated polyelectrolyte (white) is shown. The authors focus in particular on the ionic self-assembling nature of these novel interfacial materials, achieved via dipole interactions, which dramatically reduce the ITO workfunction. These mechanisms are illustrated schematically on page 3005.