Understanding the role of organic polar solvent induced nanoscale morphology and electrical evolutions of P3HT:PCBM composite film

We investigated the effect of organic polar solvent on the properties of [6,6]-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) films and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):PCBM blend films employed as active layer in organic photovoltaic. The nanoscale morphology and the electrical characteristics of the P3HT:PCBM film can be controlled through organic polar solvent exposure, which exhibited with a short-circuit current density of 8.64 mA/cm², an open circuit voltage of 0.63 V, and a power conversion efficiency of 3.29% under AM 1.5 illumination with a light intensity of 100 mW/cm². By exposing the active layer films to organic polar solvent a favorable phase separation in the P3HT:PCBM films is obtained. The improved power conversion efficiency can be to the high conductivity and high surface area of the P3HT:PCBM layer treated with organic polar solvent.     

Polymer bulk heterojunction photovoltaics employing a squaraine donor additive

We investigate the effects of adding a functionalized squaraine donor 2,4-bis[4-(N,N-diphenylamino)-2,6-dihydroxyphenyl] squaraine (DPSQ) into a conventional poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) polymer bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cell. The near infrared absorption of the blend was enhanced by the DPSQ additive, resulting in an increased power conversion efficiency of the P3HT:PCBM devices by >20%. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 3.4 ± 0.3% and an external quantum efficiency as high as 55% was achieved for a P3HT:PCBM blend that included 5 wt.% DPSQ.     

Influence of aluminium electrode preparation on PCE values of polymeric solar cells based on P3HT and PCBM

The main goal of the paper was investigation of influence of aluminum electrode preparation via thermal evaporation (TE) and the magnetron sputtering (MS) on power conversion efficiency (PCE) of polymeric solar cells. The photovoltaic properties of such three kinds devices based on poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) as ITO/P3HT/Al, ITO/P3HT:PCBM (1:1, w/w)/Al and ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM (1:1, w/w)/Al were investigated. For the constructed devices impedance spectroscopy were analyzed. For devices lack of PEDOT:PSS layer or lack of PCBM, photovoltaic parameters were very low and similar to the parameters obtained for device with Al electrode prepared by magnetron sputtering. The devices comprising PEDOT:PSS with P3HT:PCBM showed the best photovoltaic parameters such as a V_OC of 0.60 V, J_SC of 4.61 mA/cm², FF of 0.21, and PCE of 5.7 × 10^?1%.     

An efficient inverted organic solar cell with improved ZnO and gold contact layers

This paper presents a high efficiency (～3.8%) inverted organic photovoltaic devices based on a P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blend with improved electron- and hole-selective contact layers. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle films with different thicknesses are deposited on the transparent electrodes as a nano-porous electron-selective contact layer. A thin gold film is used between the BHJ photoactive layer and the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), which improves the wettability and significantly enhances the stability of the device (>50 days of air exposure). Photovoltaic device parameters such as power conversion efficiency (PCE) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) are systematically examined for inverted devices with different thicknesses of ZnO and gold layers in comparison to the non-inverted and reference inverted devices with no contact layers. The optimized organic devices with ZnO and Au contact layers show exceptional short circuit currents (in excess of 13 mA/cm²), in comparison to the reference devices, which is related to increased quantum efficiency of the device observed in measured EQE experiments. These results are important for development of high efficiency and stable all-printed organic solar cells and point out the role of contact layers, in particular, ZnO conductivity and morphology in the device performance.     

Influence of side chain symmetry on the performance of poly(2,5-dialkoxy-p-phenylenevinylene): fullerene blend solar cells

We report on studies of poly-(2,5-dihexyloxy-p-phenylenevinylene) (PDHeOPV), a symmetric side-chain polymer, as a potential new donor material for polymer:fullerene blend solar cells. We study the surface morphology of blend films of PDHeOPV with PCBM, the transport properties of the blend films, and the performance of photovoltaic devices made from such blend films, all as a function of PCBM content. In each case, results are compared with those obtained using the asymmetric side chain polymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV), in order to investigate the influence of polymer side chain symmetry on solar cell performance. AFM images show that large PCBM aggregates appear at lower PCBM content (50 wt.% PCBM) for PDHeOPV:PCBM than for MDMO-PPV:PCBM (67 wt.% PCBM) blend films. Time-of-Flight (ToF) mobility measurements show that charge mobilities depend more weakly on PCBM content in PDHeOPV:PCBM than in MDMO:PPV:PCBM, with the result that at high PCBM content the mobilities in PDHeOPV:PCBM are significantly lower than in MDMO:PPV:PCBM blend films, despite the higher mobilities in pristine PDHeOPV compared to pristine MDMO-PPV. Photovoltaic devices show significantly lower power conversion efficiency (～0.93%) for PDHeOPV:PCBM (80 wt.% PCBM) blend films than for MDMO-PPV:PCBM (2.2% at 80 wt.% PCBM) blends. This is attributed to the relatively poor transport properties of the PDHeOPV:PCBM blend, which limit the optimum thickness of the photoactive layer in PDHeOPV:PCBM blend devices. The behaviour is tentatively attributed to a higher tendency for the symmetric side-chain polymer chains to aggregate, resulting in poorer interaction with the fullerene and poorer network formation for charge transport.     

Effects of UV light-irradiated buffer layer on the performance of polymer solar cells

We investigate the effect of a UV-irradiated poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) buffer layer on the performance of polymer photovoltaic cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blends. It was found that UV irradiation can reduce the bulk and contact resistance of PEDOT:PSS films, improving the power conversion efficiency from (3.05 ± 0.04)% to (3.50 ± 0.03)% due to the lower device series resistance under an illumination of AM1.5G, 100 mW/cm². The work function change after UV irradiation and negligible surface morphology change was noticed.     

Adhesion properties of inverted polymer solarcells: Processing and film structure parameters

We report on the adhesion of weak interfaces in inverted P3HT:PCBM-based polymer solar cells (OPV) with either a conductive polymer, PEDOT:PSS, or a metal oxide, molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃), as the hole transport layer. The PEDOT:PSS OPVs were prepared by spin or spray coating on glass substrates, or slot-die coating on flexible PET substrates. In all cases, we observed adhesive failure at the interface between the P3HT:PCBM with PEDOT:PSS layer. The adhesion energy measured for the solar cells made on glass substrates was about 1.8 J/m², but only 0.5 J/m² for the roll-to-roll processed flexible solar cells. The adhesion energy was insensitive to the PEDOT:PSS layer thickness in the range of 10–40 nm. A marginal increase in adhesion energy was measured with increased O₂ plasma power. Compared to solution processed PEDOT:PSS, we found that thermally evaporated MoO₃ adheres less to the P3HT:PCBM layer, which we attributed to the reduced mixing at the MoO₃/P3HT:PCBM interface during the thermal evaporation process. Insights into the mechanisms of delamination and the effect of different material properties and processing parameters yield general guidelines for the design of more reliable organic photovoltaic devices.     

Dispersion control of Ag nanoparticles in bulk-heterojunction for efficient organic photovoltaic devices

This research focuses on the effect of different capping agents on Ag nanoparticles (NPs), for the improved efficiency of organic photovoltaic cells. Ag NPs were produced by solution chemistry of the polyol process, and then successfully capped with oleylamine (OA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), or thiol terminated polystyrene (PS-SH), as proven by FT-IR spectra. These Ag NPs with different capping agents were finally embedded in the photoactive layer of poly(3-hexylthiophene):6,6-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) bulk heterojunction solar cells. Because of the presence of a suitable capping agent that prevents aggregation, the dispersity of the Ag NPs in organic solvent was significantly improved, in the sequence of OA, PVP, and PS-SH. The photovoltaic cells exhibit increased performance from 3.11% to 3.49%, at an optimized blend ratio of Ag NPs (2.5 wt%) capped with PS-SH. This enhancement is mainly attributed to the improved short circuit current (increased from 8.49 mA/cm² to 9.29 mA/cm²) and extinction with effective light scattering, caused by improved dispersion of the Ag NPs in BHJ films, through reducing unwanted particle aggregation.     

Optimized ITO-free tri-layer electrode for organic solar cells

The optical properties of ZnO/Ag/ZnO (ZAZ) multilayer structures were numerically modeled and calculated by a FDTD method. Such tri-layers were also manufactured using an ion beam sputtering plant. A good agreement is obtained between modelizations and realizations. The impact of the oxide thicknesses on the optical properties of the ZAZ structures were experimentally and numerically investigated, and allow us to adjust the spectral position of the transmission maximum. The transmission of these structures is optimized up to around 74%, on the whole absorption spectral range of the photoactive P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction. The best electrode design is glass/ZnO (30 nm)/Ag (14 nm)/ZnO (30 nm), which presents a sheet resistance of 7 Ω/□. The optimized ZAZ structure was successfully integrated in an organic solar cell as anode. A photovoltaic efficiency of 2.58% is obtained and is compared to an organic solar cell integrating a traditional ITO anode with an efficiency of 2.99%. Numerical calculations of the intrinsic absorption inside each layer of the organic solar cells are performed. Alternative ITO-free electrodes for organic solar cells are demonstrated.     

Dependence of opto-electric properties of (semi-)conducting films in polymer based solar cells on viscous shear during the coating process

Organic photovoltaic is a promising technology for low-cost energy conversion. One of its major challenges is the transfer of the manufacturing process to a continuous roll-to-roll process. Previous research showed that the coating method has a significant impact on film properties, which may be explained by a shear-rate induced crystallization of the polymer–fullerene-blend.In this paper we report on a controlled variation of the shear-rate during slot-die coating of photoactive and conductive layers for polymer solar cells. Light absorption of photoactive layers increased towards higher coating speed and thus higher shear-rate by up to 28% from 0.6 m/min to 12 m/min. The currently lower performance of roll-to-roll processed solar cells, compared to laboratory scale devices may be increased by intentionally applying a high shear rate during the coating process. In contrast, a shear induced crystallization is insignificant for conductive (PEDEOT:PSS and Ag-nanoparticle) films, where conductivity decreased when the operating point approached the stability limit. Thus, a low capillary number is desirable for PEDOT:PSS layers, whereas the performance of the photoactive layer increased within the investigated velocity range. These tendencies, shown here for a standard material system (P3HT:PCBM), are substantial for the design of a roll-to-roll process for efficient polymer solar cells.     

Conversion efficiency improvement mechanisms of polymer solar cells by balance electron–hole mobility using blended P3HT:PCBM:pentacene active layer

To improve the power conversion efficiency of polymer solar cells, the blended P3HT:PCBM:pentacene active layer was used to balance hole–electron mobility and roughen surface. Using space-charged-limited current model to analyze the hole-only devices and the electron-only devices, the P3HT:PCBM:pentacene (weight ratio = 1:0.8:0.09) active layer exhibited balance hole–electron mobility. Compared with the power conversion efficiency of 3.46% of the conventional polymer solar cells using P3HT:PCBM (1:0.8) active layer, the power conversion efficiency of 4.42% was obtained. In other words, the power conversion efficiency was improved about 27.5%.     

Photo stability enhancement of Poly(3-hexylthiophene)-PCBM nanocomposites by addition of multi walled carbon nanotubes under ambient conditions

Poly(3-hexylthiophene)-Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT–PCBM) composites find wide application in optoelectronic devices, especially bulk-hetero junction (BHJ) solar cells. These composites, even though could give efficient polymer solar cells with ∼4–5% power conversion efficiencies (PCE), a major problem of photo stability is associated with it and remains unsolved. P3HT–PCBM composite was found to be degrading on irradiation with ultraviolet radiation or a solar simulator providing AM1.5G illumination (1000 W m^–2, 72 ± 2 °C or 330 W m⁻², 25 °C), in presence of oxygen and moisture. Here, we have studied the photo stability of P3HT–PCBM under ambient conditions and showed that a new ternary composite, P3HT–PCBM–MWCNT (multi walled carbon nanotube) has superior photo stability even on extended UV–Vis exposure. A total of 7% (w/w) PCBM and 3% (w/w) MWCNT with respect to P3HT resulted in optimum stability. UV–Visible and fluorescence spectral analysis have been used to study the photo stability, both in solution state and solid/film state. Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) along with selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) micrographs have been used to show the well coating of MWCNT on P3HT–PCBM composite. Since MWCNT is one of the very important carbon based nanomaterial with several supreme characteristics, this new ternary composite has great importance for optoelectronic applications.     

On the stability of the electrical and photoelectrical properties of P3HT and P3HT:PCBM blends thin films

New photoelectrical properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), highly regioregular (P3HT): Methanofullerene Phenyl-C₆₁-Butyric-Acid-Methyl-Ester [60] PCBM films were putted in evidence. For the first time the electrical conductivity dependencies on temperature in dark and under different illuminations were studied for the P3HT and P3HT:PCBM blend films. These dependencies shows reversible processes and a high sensitivity of the P3HT and P3HT:PCBM to light. The decrease of the resistivity at the exposure to light is of 18% for P3HT films and of 20% for P3HT:PCBM blend films, for a irradiation under 0.5 W/m² white light at room temperature. By adding the fullerene molecules, in the 1:0.8 polymer:fullerene ratio, the electrical resistivity at room temperature of the blend films decrease compared to the polymer film by 40% in dark, and by 68% under 250 W/m² white light irradiance.The decrease of the resistivity with the temperature is more pronounced in the presence of light indicating a photon activated process.The existence of the open circuit voltage was evidenced even for planar geometry photodiodes and the values of the open circuit voltage under 1000 W/m² solar light illumination are coherent with the difference between the work functions of the electrodes.     

Polymer solar cells incorporating one-dimensional polyaniline nanotubes

We have fabricated polymer solar cell devices based on poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) and incorporating one-dimensional nanostructured acid-doped polyaniline nanotubes (a-PANINs) as an interfacial layer. The power conversion efficiency of an annealed device incorporating the a-PANIN layer reached 4.26% under AM 1.5 G (100 mW/cm²) illumination, an increase of ca. 26% relative to that of the annealed device lacking an a-PANIN interfacial layer. The incorporation of the a-PANINs in the solution-processed polymer solar cells was reproducible; the high conductivity, controlled tubular nanoscale morphologies, and mobility of the annealed a-PANIN layer led to efficient extraction of photogenerated holes to the buffer layer and suppression of exciton recombination, thereby improving the photovoltaic performance.     

Effects of tetramethylene sulfone solvent additives on conductivity of PEDOT:PSS film and performance of polymer photovoltaic cells

A solvent additive in PEDOT:PSS solution is one of many methods to improve the conductivity of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films. We explore a new type of the solvent additive, namely tetramethylene sulfone (TMS), for the fabrication of the PEDOT:PSS conductive layer in the ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM/TiO_x/Al polymer photovoltaic cells, in comparison to a more common dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent additive. At optimal conditions, the TMS additive at 10 wt.% has been found to enhance the conductivity of pristine PEDOT:PSS films from 0.04 S/cm up to approximately 189 S/cm, compared with the highest conductivity for the case of the DMSO additive at 15 wt.% of 117 S/cm. Possible mechanisms of this conductivity enhancement, relating to the polymer conformation and the film morphology, have been investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The performance of the polymer photovoltaic cells fabricated with the solvent additives PEDOT:PSS films follows a similar trend to the conductivity of the films as a function of the additive concentration. The additives mainly lead to greater short circuit current density (J_sc) of the photovoltaic cells. The highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.24% of the device has been obtained with the 10 wt.% TMS additive of, compared to the PCE of 1.48% for the standard device without solvent additive.     

Effect of UV light irradiation on photovoltaic characteristics of inverted polymer solar cells containing sol–gel zinc oxide electron collection layer

An inverted organic bulk-heterojunction solar cell containing a zinc oxide (ZnO) based electron collection layer with a structure of ITO/ZnO/[6,6]-phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM): regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxylenethiophene): poly(4-styrene sulfonic acid)/Au (ZnO cell) was fabricated. We examined the relationship between the heating temperature of the ZnO layer and the device performance under irradiation by simulated sunlight while cutting the UV light. The effects of the UV light contained in simulated sunlight were investigated by photocurrent–voltage (I–V) and alternating current impedance spectroscopy (IS) measurements. When the ZnO cells were irradiated with simulated sunlight, they exhibited a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 3%, which hardly varied with the heating temperature of ZnO layers treated at 250 °C, 350 °C, and 450 °C. In contrast, when the ZnO cells were irradiated with simulated sunlight without UV content, their photovoltaic characteristics were very different. In the case of the cell with ZnO prepared by heating at 250 °C, PCE of 2.7% was maintained even under continuous irradiation with simulated sunlight without UV. However, for the cells with ZnO prepared by heating at 350 °C and 450 °C, the shapes of the I–V curves changed with the UV-cut light irradiation time, accompanying an increase in their series resistance. Overall, after UV-cut light irradiation for 1 h, the PCE of the cell with ZnO prepared by heating at 350 °C decreased to 1.80%, while that of the cell with ZnO prepared by heating at 450 °C fell to 1.35%. The photo IS investigations suggested that this performance change was responsible for the formation of charge-trapping sites at the ZnO/PCBM:P3HT interface which act as recombination centers for photo-produced charges in the PCBM:P3HT layer.     

Detailed investigation of dependencies of photovoltaic performances of P3HT:PC61BM based solar cells on anodic work function modified by surface treatment of indium-tin-oxide electrode with benzenesulfonyl chloride derivatives

The photovoltaic (PV) characteristics of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PC₆₁BM) were improved using indium-tin-oxide (ITO) anode electrodes modified chemically with CH₃O-, H-, Cl-, CF₃-, and NO₂-terminated benzenesulfonyl chlorides as a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The ITO electrode surfaces were easily treated through the chemical modification of the reactive –SO₂Cl binding group, and the work function (WF) of the modified ITO was effectively changed depending on the permanent dipole moments introduced in the para-position of benzenesulfonyl chloride. We examined the correlation between the ITO WFs corrected by the change in the contact potential difference and the calculated dipole moments of the SAM models. Moreover, we examined the PV characteristics of the P3HT:PC₆₁BM based BHJ organic PV cells using the SAMs or poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)-treated ITOs with different WFs lying within ±0.2 eV from the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of P3HT. We found that the enhancement effect of the SAMs on the power-conversion efficiency (η_P) reached a maximum with Cl (η_P = 3.72%), and became larger than that of PEDOT:PSS (η_P = 3.62%). Two distinct J_sc dependencies, increasing and decreasing with the increasing WF of the anode ITO, were observed at higher and lower WFs than the HOMO level of the donor, respectively. Almost constant V_oc values (around 0.6 V) were observed with different SAM-modified ITOs, which suggested that Fermi level pinning was achieved by aligning the anode Fermi level and positive polaronic level of the donor polymer.     

Ionic self-assembled monolayer for low contact resistance in inkjet-printed coplanar structure organic thin-film transistors

To reduce the contact resistance in inkjet-printed organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), the use of a newly synthesized ionic self-assembled monolayer (SAM) consisting of an anchoring group, a linker group, and an ionic functional group, is investigated. According to the gated transmission line method (TLM) measurements of a series of OTFT devices, where one type has no charge injection layer, another type having a pentafluorobenzenethiol (PFBT) injection layer, and a third type containing a (6-mercaptohexyl)trimethylammonium bromide (MTAB) ionic SAM, the latter exhibits the lowest contact resistance value of ∼3.1 K Ω cm. The OTFTs without charge injection layer and with the PFBT SAM have relatively higher contact resistance values of ∼6.4 K Ω cm and ∼5.0 K Ω cm, respectively. The reduced contact resistance in the OTFTs with ionic SAMs is attributed to the large charge carrier density induced by the ionic SAM, which allows sufficient tunneling-assisted injection of the carriers from the metal electrode to the polymer semiconductor. These results suggest that the use of appropriate ionic SAM injection layer is an effective way to reduce the contact resistance, hence improving the charge transport characteristics of inkjet-printed OTFTs.     

All-solution-processed inverted polymer solar cells on granular surface-nickelized polyimide

In this study, we prepared all-solution-processed inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs) incorporating two solution-processed electrodes – surface-nickelized polyimide films (NiPI films) as cathodes and high-conductivity poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene-sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films as anodes – and an active layer with a bulk heterojunction morphology of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-buytyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). The granular Ni thin films, which exhibited good adhesion and high-conductivity (ca. 2778 S cm^?1) on the polyimide (PI) substrates and possessed a work function different from that of pure Ni metal (WF, 5.4 eV). Using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, we determined that the WF of the NiPI films was ca. 3.9 eV. Prior to the coating of the photoactive layer, the surface of the NiPI films were treated with titanium(diisopropoxide)bis(2,4-pentanedionate) (TIPD) solution to facilitate the deposition of high-quality active layer and further as a hole blocking layer. The solution processed anodes (solvent-modified PEDOT:PSS films) were further coated and subjected to mild oxygen plasma treatment on the active layer. Short exposure (5 s) to the plasma improved the quality of the surface of the active layer for PEDOT:PSS deposition. These inverted PSCs on flexible granular NiPI films provided a power conversion efficiency of 2.4% when illuminated under AM 1.5 conditions (100 mW cm^?2). The phenomenon of light absorption enhancement in those inverted PSCs was observed as indicated in reflective UV–vis, haze factor and external quantum efficiency (EQE) responses. The resulting fill factor (FF) of 0.43 is still significantly lower than the FF of 0.64 for standard devices. When compared to the planar structure, the improvement of absorbance of light and good haze factors was obtained for granular structure which suggests NiPI as a better back contact electrode through enhancing the light trapping and scattering in inverted PSCs.     

Fabrication of a planar water gated organic field effect transistor using a hydrophilic polythiophene for improved digital inverter performance

A planar water gated OFET (WG-OFET) structure is fabricated by patterning gate, source and drain electrodes on the same plane at the same time. Transistor output characteristics of this novel structure employing commercial regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rr-P3HT) as polymer semiconductor and deionized (DI) water as gate dielectric show successful field effect transistor operation with an on–off current ratio of 43 A/A and transconductance of 2.5 μA/V. These output characteristics are improved using P3HT functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (P3HT-co-P3PEGT), which is more hydrophilic, leading to on–off ratio of 130 A/A and transconductance of 3.9 μA/V. Utilization of 100 mM NaCl solution instead of DI water significantly increases the on–off ratio to 141 A/A and transconductance to 7.17 μA/V for commercial P3HT and to 217 A/A and to 11.9 μA/V for P3HT-co-P3PEGT. Finally, transistors with improved transconductances are used to build digital inverters with improved characteristics. Gain of the inverters employing P3HT and P3HT-co-P3PEGT are measured as 2.9 V/V and 10.3 V/V, respectively, with 100 mM NaCl solution.