Organic photovoltaic materials - Polyacetylene

The photovoltaic properties of the contacts between doped and undoped trans-polyacetylene films and In, Al, Pb, Sn, and Ni were studied. Measurements were performed at -77 C to +110 C at 0.00001 torr on films varying from 0.1 to 1 sq cm in area and from 20 to 75 microns in thickness; current-voltage, capacitance-voltage, and photocurrent-voltage characteristics were determined. In the dark, the films were found to exhibit typical Schottky-barrier rectification behavior which was affected by differences in the polymer surface. Short-circuit-photocurrent-action spectra of the blocking contacts are shown to be identical with the 450-1000nm absorption spectra of polyacetylene, limiting collection efficiency to about 1 percent at 1.93 eV. Short-circuit current and open-circit voltage are determined to be dependent on incident light intensity. Photovoltaic conversion efficiency is calculated to be approximately 0.1 percent.