Conjugated alternating copolymer of dialkylquaterthiophene and fluorenone: synthesis, characterisation and photovoltaic properties

New pi-conjugated alternating copolymers containing thienylene and fluorenone units, namely poly[(5,5'''-dioctyl-[2,2';5',2'';5'',2''']quaterthiophene)-alt-(2,7-fluoren-9-one)] (PQTF8), as well as its analogue without fluorenone groups (PQT8), have been synthesized. Absorption studies carried out both in solution and in thin films indicate that the presence of fluorenone chromophores in PQTF8 leads to a significant extension of the absorption spectrum in the visible range as compared to PQT8. The redox properties of both polymers, in particular their LUMO and HOMO levels, have been characterized by cyclic voltammetry and have been found suitable for potential use of these systems in organic solar cells. Finally, these materials have been tested as donor components in bulk-heterojunction-type photovoltaic cells using PCBM as an electron acceptor. We demonstrate a strong effect of the polymer's molecular weight on crucial cell parameters, such as the short-circuit current density J(sc), and therefore on the overall cell efficiency. This effect is particularly pronounced for PQTF8-based cells leading to power conversion efficiencies up to 1.5% for the highest molecular weights.