C60-Containing polymethacrylates: synthesis, properties, and potential application as n-type semiconductor for organic solar cell

Azide-containing copolymers derived from random copolymers of 6-cholorohexyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate were reacted with C60 in chlorobenzene to afford polymethacrylates with high C60 content up to 41.4 wt% soluble in common organic solvents such as CHCl3, THF, and toluene. The SEC chromatograms implied that the obtained copolymers formed intra- and inter-molecular aggregation in CHCl3, presumably due to the strong interaction between the pendant C60 moieties, whereas no aggregation was observed in THF. Band gap of the obtained polymer was lower than that of C60, while the LUMO level provided 0.6 eV of energetic driving force for charge dissociation at the interface with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The blend with P3HT exhibited high fluorescence quenching efficiency and higher Voc.