Does Electron Delocalization Influence Charge Separation at Donor–Acceptor Interfaces in Organic Photovoltaic Cells?

We use bilayer devices with a series of three fullerene acceptors differing in order and intermolecular coupling to systematically explore the influence of electron delocalization in the acceptor phase on the dissociation efficiency of charge transfer states. Structural information from GIWAXS measurements is combined with the results of optical and electrical characterization as well as theoretical modeling. Our results indicate that an increase in CT-dissociation efficiency is directly coupled to an enhancement in electron delocalization that is particularly prominent for C60 which forms crystalline domains. Therefore, our results substantiate the concept of delocalization of electrons taking a positive role in the charge separation process, and of acceptor crystallinity being crucial in this respect.