Photovoltaic cell with thiazole-containing polymer

1. An article, comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

a photoactive material disposed between the first and second electrodes, the photoactive material comprising a polymer including a first comonomer repeat unit and a second comonomer repeat unit different from the first comonomer repeat unit;

wherein the first comonomer repeat unit comprises a thiazole moiety; the second comonomer repeat unit is not a thiophene moiety or a fluorene moiety; and the article is configured as a photovoltaic cell.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the first comonomer repeat unit comprises a thiazole moiety of formula (23):

wherein R 5 is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, halo, CN, OR, C(O)R, C(O)OR, or SO 2 R; R being H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, aryl, heteroaryl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 1 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl.

3. The article of claim 2 , wherein R 5 is C 1 -C 20 alkoxy or C 1 -C 20 alkyl optionally substituted with C 1 -C 20 alkoxy or halo.

4. The article of claim 3 , wherein R 5 is hexyl.

5. The article of claim 1 , wherein the second comonomer repeat unit comprises a silacyclopentadithiophene moiety, a benzothiadiazole moiety, a thiadiazoloquinoxaline moiety, a cyclopentadithiophene moiety, a cyclopentadithiophene oxide moiety, a benzoisothiazole moiety, a benzothiazole moiety, a thiophene oxide moiety, a thienothiophene moiety, a thienothiophene oxide moiety, a dithienothiophene moiety, a dithienothiophene oxide moiety, a tetrahydroisoindole moiety, a fluorenone moiety, a thiazole moiety, a selenophene moiety, a silole moiety, a thiazolothiazole moiety, a cyclopentadithiazole moiety, a naphthothiadiazole moiety, a thienopyrazine moiety, an oxazole moiety, an imidazole moiety, a pyrimidine moiety, a benzoxazole moiety, or a benzimidazole moiety.

6. The article of claim 5 , wherein the second comonomer repeat unit comprises a cyclopentadithiazole moiety of formula (1), a benzothiadiazole moiety of formula (2), a thiadiazoloquinoxaline moiety of formula (3), a cyclopentadithiophene dioxide moiety of formula (4), a cyclopentadithiophene monoxide moiety of formula (5), a benzoisothiazole moiety of formula (6), a benzothiazole moiety of formula (7), a thiophene dioxide moiety of formula (8), a cyclopentadithiophene dioxide moiety of formula (9), a cyclopentadithiophene tetraoxide moiety of formula (10), a thienothiophene moiety of formula (11), a thienothiophene tetraoxide moiety of formula (12), a dithienothiophene moiety of formula (13), a dithienothiophene dioxide moiety of formula (14), a dithienothiophene tetraoxide moiety of formula (15), a tetrahydroisoindole moiety of formula (16), a thienothiophene dioxide moiety of formula (17), a dithienothiophene dioxide moiety of formula (18), a silole moiety of formula (20), a cyclopentadithiophene moiety of formula (21), a fluorenone moiety of formula (22), a thiazole moiety of formula (23), a selenophene moiety of formula (24), a thiazolothiazole moiety of formula (25), a naphthothiadiazole moiety of formula (26), a thienopyrazine moiety of formula (27), a silacyclopentadithiophene moiety of formula (28), an oxazole moiety of formula (30), an imidazole moiety of formula (31), a pyrimidine moiety of formula (32), a benzoxazole moiety of formula (33), or a benzimidazole moiety of formula (34):

wherein

each of X and Y, independently, is CH 2 , O, or S;

each of R 1 , R 2 , R 5 and R 6 , independently, is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, halo, CN, OR, C(O)R, C(O)OR, or SO 2 R, in which R is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, aryl, heteroaryl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 1 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl; and

each of R 7 and R 8 , independently, is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, aryl, heteroaryl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 3 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl.

7. The article of claim 6 , wherein the second comonomer repeat unit comprises the cyclopentadithiazole moiety of formula (1), the cyclopentadithiophene moiety of formula (21), or the silacyclopentadithiophene moiety of formula (28).

8. The article of claim 1 , further comprising a third comomoner repeat unit different from the first and second comonomer repeat units.

9. The article of claim 8 , wherein the third comomoner repeat unit comprises a thiophene moiety.

10. A polymer, comprising:

a first comonomer repeat unit comprising a thiazole moiety; and

a second comonomer repeat unit different from the first comonomer repeat unit, the second comonomer repeat unit not being a thiophene moiety or a fluorene moiety.

11. The polymer of claim 10 , wherein the first comonomer repeat unit comprises a thiazole moiety of formula (23):

wherein R 5 is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, halo, CN, OR, C(O)R, C(O)OR, or SO 2 R; R being H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, aryl, heteroaryl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 1 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl.

12. The polymer of claim 11 , wherein R 5 is C 1 -C 20 alkoxy or C 1 -C 20 alkyl optionally substituted with C 1 -C 20 alkoxy or halo.

13. The polymer of claim 12 , wherein R 5 is hexyl.

14. The polymer of claim 10 , wherein the second comonomer repeat unit comprises a silacyclopentadithiophene moiety, a benzothiadiazole moiety, a thiadiazoloquinoxaline moiety, a cyclopentadithiophene moiety, a cyclopentadithiophene oxide moiety, a benzoisothiazole moiety, a benzothiazole moiety, a thiophene oxide moiety, a thienothiophene moiety, a thienothiophene oxide moiety, a dithienothiophene moiety, a dithienothiophene oxide moiety, a tetrahydroisoindole moiety, a fluorenone moiety, a thiazole moiety, a selenophene moiety, a silole moiety, a thiazolothiazole moiety, a cyclopentadithiazole moiety, a naphthothiadiazole moiety, a thienopyrazine moiety, an oxazole moiety, an imidazole moiety, a pyrimidine moiety, a benzoxazole moiety, or a benzimidazole moiety.

15. The polymer of claim 14 , wherein the second comonomer repeat unit comprises a cyclopentadithiazole moiety of formula (1), a benzothiadiazole moiety of formula (2), a thiadiazoloquinoxaline moiety of formula (3), a cyclopentadithiophene dioxide moiety of formula (4), a cyclopentadithiophene monoxide moiety of formula (5), a benzoisothiazole moiety of formula (6), a benzothiazole moiety of formula (7), a thiophene dioxide moiety of formula (8), a cyclopentadithiophene dioxide moiety of formula (9), a cyclopentadithiophene tetraoxide moiety of formula (10), a thienothiophene moiety of formula (11), a thienothiophene tetraoxide moiety of formula (12), a dithienothiophene moiety of formula (13), a dithienothiophene dioxide moiety of formula (14), a dithienothiophene tetraoxide moiety of formula (15), a tetrahydroisoindole moiety of formula (16), a thienothiophene dioxide moiety of formula (17), a dithienothiophene dioxide moiety of formula (18), a silole moiety of formula (20), a cyclopentadithiophene moiety of formula (21), a fluorenone moiety of formula (22), a thiazole moiety of formula (23), a selenophene moiety of formula (24), a thiazolothiazole moiety of formula (25), a naphthothiadiazole moiety of formula (26), a thienopyrazine moiety of formula (27), a silacyclopentadithiophene moiety of formula (28), an oxazole moiety of formula (30), an imidazole moiety of formula (31), a pyrimidine moiety of formula (32), a benzoxazole moiety of formula (33), or a benzimidazole moiety of formula (34):

wherein

each of X and Y, independently, is CH 2 , O, or S;

each of R 1 , R 2 , R 5 and R 6 , independently, is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, halo, CN, OR, C(O)R, C(O)OR, or SO 2 R, in which R is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, aryl, heteroaryl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 1 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl; and

each of R 7 and R 8 , independently, is H, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, aryl, heteroaryl, C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl, or C 3 -C 20 heterocycloalkyl.

16. The polymer of claim 15 , wherein the second comonomer repeat unit comprises the cyclopentadithiazole moiety of formula (1), the cyclopentadithiophene moiety of formula (21), or the silacyclopentadithiophene moiety of formula (28).

17. The polymer of claim 10 , further comprising a third comomoner repeat unit different from the first and second comonomer repeat units.

18. The polymer of claim 17 , wherein the third comomoner repeat unit comprises a thiophene moiety.