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Structure-function relationships of fullerene esters in polymer solar cells: unexpected structural effects on lifetime and efficiency

We report both transport measurements and spectroscopic data of polymer/fullerene blend photovoltaics using a small library of fullerene esters to correlate device properties with a range of functionality and structural diversity of the ester substituent. We observe that minor structural changes can lead to significant differences in device efficiency and lifetime. Surprisingly, we have found that isomeric R-groups in the fullerene ester-based devices we have studied have very different efficiencies. The characteristic lifetimes derived from both transport and spectroscopic measurements are generally comparable, however some more rapid effects in specific fullerene esters are not observed spectroscopically. Our results support using a library approach for optimizing device performance in these systems.