Carbazole‐based conjugated polymers incorporating push/pull organic dyes: Synthesis, characterization, and photovoltaic applications

Abstract We have synthesized and characterized two new carbazole‐based conjugated polymers, PCDCN and PCDTA , incorporating two strong light‐absorbing organic dyes. These polymers exhibit relatively low band gaps (∼1.5 eV) and broad absorption ranges (from 300 to 700 nm). We fabricated polymer solar cells incorporating these polymers as donors and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C 71 ‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC 71 BM) as the acceptor. At a blending ratio of 1:4, we obtained power conversion efficiencies, under simulated AM 1.5 (100 mW/cm 2 ) conditions, of 2.31% and 2.47% for the PCDCN ‐ and PCDTA ‐based devices, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010