Synthesis, characterization and photovoltaicproperty evaluation of poly (3-phenyl azomethinealkyl thiophene)s

Poly (3-phenyl ethyl azomethine thiophene) (PPAET) and poly (3-phenyl butyl azomethine thiophene) (PPABT) were synthesized by oxidative coupling method using FeCl3 as oxidant. Study of concomitant optical and electrochemical properties of the polymers revealed that they possess excellent potentiality of being good photovoltaic materials. The electrochemical band gap of PPAET and PPABT were calculated to be 2.19 eV and 2.14 eV respectively. The absorption spectra showed broad absorption over the wavelength range of 350-590 nm with maximum absorption peak at 407 and 415nm (λmax) respectively for PPAET and PPABT. The polymer photovoltaic cells based on blend of polymers and TiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the photovoltaic cells was measured to be 0.102% and 0.125% respectively for PPAET and PPABT.