Andrew Setley
Advisor: Prof. Natalie Stingelin

will defend a master’s thesis entitled,

Elucidating the Role of Phase Morphology in the Structure-Property Relationships of Polymeric Donor: Acceptor Blends

On

Tuesday, April 16 at 1:15 p.m.

ES&T Room 3243

Committee
            Prof. Natalie Stingelin – School of Materials Science & Engineering (advisor), GT
            Prof. Antonio Facchetti – School of Materials Science & Engineering, GT
            Prof. Seung-Soon Jang – School of Materials Science & Engineering, GT

Abstract
Organic photoelectrochemical devices are gaining attraction in the renewable energy community for their printable, low-cost alternative to existing hydrogen fuel generation technologies. In particular, novel polymer:polymer blends hold promise as efficient and scalable photo-hydrolysis materials. However, the active-layer phase morphology in polymer:polymer blends is difficult to control, and little research has been done to understand the impact phase morphology has on exciton generation and separation in the electrode layers. By utilizing PBTTT:PCBM as a model system, we demonstrate various methods for establishing control over the heterojunction phase morphology using processing parameters and asymmetrical processing additives. We subsequently extend these learnings to the more complex P3HT:N2200 system, with an eye towards next-generation polymer:polymer blends.