DFT investigations of the donor-acceptor couple CuPc/C60

Abstract: The donor-acceptor couple CuPc/C60 has been the subject of recent studies in organic solar cells due to its combined abilities in light absorption (CuPc) and charge transport (C60). By better understanding the electronic and geometric nature of the system it is possible to shed light on how the molecules act under different conditions. In this study the geometric properties for three different configurations have been studied by means of Density Functional Theory (DFT). By comparing the molecular structure of pristine CuPc with the structure of CuPc in the presence of C60, a slight elongation of the bonds is observed when the fullerene is present. This is especially true for the Cu-N bonds. By further including van der Waals interactions, no change in bond lengths is observed. This, in turn, suggests that, most likely, the interaction between the two molecules is relatively weak and the C60 will not have a major influence on the electronic structure of CuPc. The N1s X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Near Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS) calculations confirm these conclusions, as only very small changes in peak positions are observed when comparing pristine CuPc with CuPc/C60.