We report on organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) with
columnar-grain active layers consisting in cross-linked
semiconducting (conjugated) polymers as electron-donors and
PCBM as the electron-acceptor and compare with OPVs based
either on blends or on planar bilayers made with the same
components. Although the columnar-grain layers have
morphologic characteristics still far from «optimal» for PV
operation, we found a significant improvement in the cell
performances relative to planar bilayer architectures whereas
cells with blends exhibited the highest efficiencies. Differences in
cell performances with analogous layer architectures using two
different polymers were attributed to the distinct charge mobility
of the polymers. In view of the several benefits posed by the use
of cross-linkable conjugated polymers in OPVs, ranging from
higher morphologic stability to facilitated processing, our results
provide insights for rational approaches when employing such
materials.