All‐Polymer Solar Cells: Recent Progress,Challenges, and Prospects

For over two decades bulk‐heterojunction polymer solar cell (BHJ‐PSC) research was dominated by donor:acceptor BHJ blends based on polymer donors and fullerene molecular acceptors. This situation has changed recently, with non‐fullerene PSCs developing very rapidly. The power conversion efficiencies of non‐fullerene PSCs have now reached over 15 %, which is far above the most efficient fullerene‐based PSCs. Among the various non‐fullerene PSCs, all‐polymer solar cells (APSCs) based on polymer donor‐polymer acceptor BHJs have attracted growing attention, due to the following attractions: 1) large and tunable light absorption of the polymer donor/polymer acceptor pair; 2) robustness of the BHJ film morphology; 3) compatibility with large scale/large area manufacturing; 4) long‐term stability of the cell to external environmental and mechanical stresses. This Minireview highlights the opportunities offered by APSCs, selected polymer families suitable for these devices with optimization to enhance the performance further, and discusses the challenges facing APSC development for commercial applications.     

Synthesis,photophysical, electrochemical and single-crystal x-ray diffraction study of (Z)-2-phenyl-3-(5-(4-(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-7-yl)thiophen-2-yl)acrylonitrile

The optical characteristics, redox properties, thermogravimetric stability and single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of (Z)-2-phenyl-3-(5-(4-(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-7-yl)thiophen-2-yl)acrylonitrile are examined using ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry, cyclic voltammetry, thermal gravimetric analysis–diffraction scanning calorimetry analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations. Evidently, the crystal structure of compound 6 is sustained by a number of weak nonconventional intermolecular forces of attraction such as C-H … N, C-H … π donor–acceptor interactions.     

Rational design of organic asymmetric donors D1-A-D2 possessing broad absorption regions and suitable frontier molecular orbitals to match typical acceptors toward solar cells

A series of donors have been designed based on three building blocks, i.e., triphenylamine (TPA), 4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (DBT), and oligothiophenes (5Th), to investigate suitable molecules toward solar cell materials. The donors are built by two donor fragments (TPA as D1 and 5Th as D2) and one acceptor fragment (DBT as A) in three topologies with or without linkages and electron-withdrawing groups. Their electronic and optical properties have been characterized by the PBE0/6-31G(d,p) and the TD-PBE0/6-31+G(d,p) approaches. The calculated results reveal that the asymmetric donor in the topology of D1-A-D2 with vinyl linkage and -NO(2) groups is a rational strategy to design novel material possessing a small HOMO-LUMO gap, broad and intense absorption spectra, and higher charge transfer ability. The promising donors for [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), bisPCBM, and PC70BM as acceptors are recommended theoretically for the first time for solar cells based on the proper match for frontier molecular orbitals between donors and acceptors.     

Efficient deep-red organic light-emitting diodes based on blending MEH-PPV with a small molecule compound

Efficient deep-red organic light-emitting diodes(OLEDs) were investigated based on the blend of poly[2- methoxy-5-(2’-ethyl-hexyloxy)-l,4-phenylene vinylene](MEH-PPV) with 4,7-bis(5-(7-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-9,9-dioctyl-9H-fluoren -2-yl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole(compound 1).By optimizing the blend ratio,the turn-on voltage of the devices was significantly reduced from 4.9 V to 2.4 V.A highest external quantum efficiency of 2.56%was achieved at a blend ratio of 95:5(wt) for compound 1:MEH-PPV.The CIE coordinate was measured to be(0.70,0.30),with the luminescence peak at around 680 nm.Based on experimental observations the improvement mechanism is described.     

Syntheses and Optical Properties of Perfluorophenyl Containing Benzimidazole Derivatives: The Effect of Donor Units

Synthesis of two novel donor – acceptor – donor type monomers containing benzimidazole as the acceptor unit and thiophene and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) as the donor units were performed. 2-(Perfluorophenyl)-4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole and 4,7-bis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)-2-(perfluorophenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole were synthesized successfully and polymerized electrochemically. The electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical studies of the polymers were studied. The effect of electron donating moieties on the optical properties of electrochemically polymerized polymers was investigated. Both polymers were p type dopable and possessed multi-chromic property. Optical studies demonstrated that the polymer based on EDOT unit (P2) resulted in lower band gap since EDOT is higher electron donating group than thiophene.     

Homoleptic cyclometalated iridium complexes with highly efficient red phosphorescence and application to organic light-emitting diode

Phosphorescence studies of a series of facial homoleptic cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes have been carried out. The complexes studied have the general structure Ir(III)(C-N)(3), where (C-N) is a monoanionic cyclometalating ligand: 2-(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)pyridinato, 2-(thiophen-2-yl)-5-trifluoromethylpyridinato, 2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)pyridinato, 2,5-di(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)pyridinato, 2-(benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)pyridinato, 2-(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)pyridinato, 1-phenylisoquinolinato, 1-(thiophen-2-yl)isoquinolinato, or 1-(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)isoquinolinato. Luminescence properties of all the complexes at 298 K in toluene are as follows: quantum yields of phosphorescence Phi(p) = 0.08-0.29, emission peaks lambda(max) = 558-652 nm, and emission lifetimes tau = 0.74-4.7 micros. Bathochromic shifts of the Ir(thpy)(3) family [the complexes with 2-(thiophen-2-yl)pyridine derivatives] are observed by introducing appropriate substituents, e.g., methyl, trifluoromethyl, or thiophen-2-yl. However, Phi(p) of the red emissive complexes (lambda(max) > 600 nm) becomes small, caused by a significant decrease of the radiative rate constant, k(r). In contrast, the complexes with the 1-arylisoquinoline ligands are found to have marked red shifts of lambda(max) and very high Phi(p) (0.19-0.26). These complexes are found to possess dominantly (3)MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) excited states and have k(r) values approximately 1 order of magnitude larger than those of the Ir(thpy)(3) family. An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) device that uses Ir(1-phenylisoquinolinato)(3) as a phosphorescent dopant produces very high efficiency (external quantum efficiency eta(ex) = 10.3% and power efficiency 8.0 lm/W at 100 cd/m(2)) and pure-red emission with 1931 CIE (Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage) chromaticity coordinates (x = 0.68, y = 0.32).     

含萘并二噻吩小分子受体材料的带隙调控及其在非富勒烯太阳能电池中的应用

By using photovoltaic technology, ambient solar light can be directly converted to electricity. The photovoltaic technology has been regarded as one of the most important and promising strategies to resolve the worldwide energy and pollution problems. As one type of photovoltaic technology, polymer solar cells have attracted increasing interest due to their advantages of solution processing capability, low-cost, feasibility to be fabricated on flexible substrates etc. Not until a few years ago, the fullerene derivatives had been dominated the organic photovoltaic field as the most promising acceptor materials for polymer solar cells. However, fullerene-based polymer solar cells have a power conversion efficiency bottleneck due to the relatively fixed energy levels as well as the fixed bandgaps of fullerene derivatives. Therefore, researchers started to develop nonfullerene acceptors which can be used as alternatives to replace the traditional fullerene derivatives. Compared to the fullerene derivatives, nonfullerene acceptors offer several advantages such as stronger light absorption, tunable bandgaps and frontier molecular orbital energy levels. For nonfullerene acceptors, a ladder-type fused ring is usually used as the central core which is an essential building block to tailor the bandgaps and energy levels. Although many fused ring systems have been explored for efficient nonfullerene acceptors, ladder-type angular-shape dithienonaphthalene is seldom reported as the donor unit for nonfullerene acceptors. Furthermore, the impact of thiophene bridge on the optical and photovoltaic properties of the dithienonaphthalene-based nonfullerene acceptors has never been reported. In this context, we report on the design and synthesis of a dithienonaphthalene-based small-molecule acceptor which contains thiophene bridges in between the acceptor terminals and the fused-ring donor core. Compared to the dithienonaphthalene-based small-molecule without the thiophene bridges, the resulting acceptor (DTNIT) exhibits a reduced bandgap of 1.52 eV which makes it more suitable to be blended with the benchmark large bandgap copolymer, poly[(2, 6-(4, 8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)-benzo[1, 2-b: 4, 5-b']dithiophene))-alt-(5, 5-(1', 3'-di-2-thienyl-5', 7'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)benzo[1', 2'-c:4', 5'-c']dithiophene-4, 8-dione)] (PBDB-T). The reduced band-gap of the resulting nonfullerene acceptor can be attributed to its extended π-conjugation in comparison with the dithienonaphthalene-based acceptor without the thiophene bridges. Inverted polymer solar cells with a device configuration of indium tin oxide/ZnO/PBDB-T:DTNIT/MoO₃/Ag were fabricated and characterized. Polymer solar cells based on PBDB-T:DTNIT showed an open circuit voltage of 0.91 V, an enhanced short circuit current of 14.42 mA∙cm⁻², and a moderate PCE of 7.05% which is comparable to the PCE of 7.12% for the inverted device based on PBDB-T:PC₇₁BM. Our results not only provide a method to synthesize efficient nonfullerene acceptors with reduced bandgaps, but also offer a bandgap modulation strategy for nonfullerene acceptors.     

Rylene diimide and dithienocyanovinylene copolymers for polymer solar cells

Two polymers containing(E)-2,3-bis(thiophen-2-yl)acrylonitrile(CNTVT) as a donor unit, perylene diimide(PDI) or naphthalene diimide(NDI) as an acceptor unit, are synthesized by the Stille coupling copolymerization, and used as the electron acceptors in the solution-processed organic solar cells(OSCs). Both polymers exhibit broad absorption in the region of 300–850 nm. The LUMO energy levels of the resulted polymers are ca. –3.93 eV and the HOMO energy levels are –5.97 and –5.83 eV. In the binary blend OSCs with PTB7-Th as a donor, PDI polymer yields the power conversion efficiency(PCE) of up to 1.74%, while NDI polymer yields PCE of up to 3.80%.     

Differentiation of Constitutional Isomer of 2,2a,3,4-Tetrahydro- 4-methyl-2a-phenyl-2-(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-azeto[2,1-d][1,5] benzothiazepin-1-one-5-oxide and Fragmentations of 2,3-Dihydro- 2,4-diphenyl-1,5-benzothiazepine-1-oxide/-1,1-dioxide

Introduction Mostimportantantibioticspossessarepresen- tativestructureofaβ-lactamfusedfive-orsix- memberedheterocyclicringcontainingnitrogenand sulfuratoms.Forinstance,theeffectiveantibi- otics,penicillin,penamandpenem,havefusedthi- azolidine-β-lactam,andtheeffectiveantibiotics, cephalosporinandcephem,arefuseddihydroth- iazine-β-lactams[1].Recently,someβ-lactam derivativeshavealsobeenrecognizedasthein- hibitorsofhumanleukocytaseelastase[2]andserine protease[3].Thesynthesisofbicyclicβ-lact…     

Differentiation of Constitutional Isomer of 2,2a,3,4-Tetrahydro- 4-methyl-2a-phenyl-2- （thiophen-2-yl）- 1H-azeto [-2,1-d] [- 1,51benzothiazepin-1-one-5-oxide and Fragmentations of 2,3-Dihydro-2,4-diphenyl-1,5-benzothiazepine-l-oxide／- 1,1-d

Mass spectrometric behaviour of 2,2a, 3,4-tetrahydro-4-methyl-2a-phenyl-2- (thiophen-2-yl)- 1H-azeto [-2,1-d-J1-1,5-]benzothiazepin-l-one-5-oxide and 2,3-dihydro-2,4-diphenyl-1,5-benzothiazepine-l-oxide/-1,1-dioxide have been studied with the aid of mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy spectrometry and accurate mass measurements under electron impact ionization. The monooxide derivatives showed a tendency to eliminate an alkene or an oxygen atom. 1H-Azeto[-2,1-d][1,5]benzothiazepin-1-one-5-oxide could also eliminate the thiophen- 2-ylketene molecule via a reverse [-2 q- 2 ~ cycloaddition. 2,3-Dihydro-2,4-diphenyl- 1,5-benzothiazepine-1-oxide/-1, 1-dioxide could eliminate SO2 or SO, respectively. The structure of 2,2a, 3, 4-tetrahydro-4-methyl-2a-phenyl-2- (thiophen-2-yl)-1H-azeto 1-2,1-d-] [1,5 -] benzothiazepin-1-one-5-oxide was identified on the basis of its fragmentation. The identification was supported by the fragmentations of model compound, 2,3-dihydro-2,4-diphenyl-1,5-benzothiazepine-1-oxide/-1,1-dioxide.     

Preparation and Characterization of a π-Conjugated Donor–Acceptor System Containing the Strongly Electron-Accepting Tetraphenylborolyl Unit

A novel thiophene-bridged donor–acceptor system was synthesized with a carbazole as donor and a borole as acceptor unit. The borole group was successfully installed via the tin–boron exchange reaction of 1,1-dimethyl-2,3,4,5-tetraphenylstannole with 9-(5-(dibromoboryl)thiophen-2-yl)carbazole. The effect of the borole on the optoelectronic properties of the donor–acceptor system was explored by spectroscopic (UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy), electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry) and theoretical (TD-DFT) methods as well as by modifying its structure. The corresponding donor–acceptor compound bearing the widely employed dimesitylboryl acceptor group was also synthesized for comparison.     

Effects of various donor: acceptor blend ratios on photophysical properties in non-fullerene organic bulk heterojunctions

In this work, the donor:acceptor ratio effected photophysical properties of non-fullerene organic solar cells are comparatively investigated. Effective transportation of the photo-generated charge carriers can be obtained with the PDBD-T:ITIC ratio variation. There is no significant energy loss variation exists in the process of changing the D:A ratio.     

Synthesis and NLO properties of new trans 2-(thiophen-2-yl)vinyl heteroaromatic iodides

The synthesis and characterisation of new trans 2-(thiophen-2-yl)vinyl pyridinium, imidazolium and quinoilinium iodides is reported together with their solvatochromic shifts and EFISH characterization. 2-{(E)-2-[5'-(dibutylamino)-2,2'-bithien-5-yl]vinyl}-1-methyl pyridinium and quinolinium iodides display high μ.β(vec) values up to 1200 × 10(-48) esu. The promising non-linear optical (NLO) properties of this new family of chromophores, which can be further improved by the design of highly efficient systems exploiting the donor and acceptor properties of both heteroaromatic rings and substituents, make them suitable candidates for second harmonic generation imaging with interesting biological applications.     

基于二噻吩并吡咯π桥的窄带隙非富勒烯受体材料在有机太阳能电池中的应用

以不同烷基取代的二噻吩并吡咯(DTP)为π桥,连接吲哒省并二噻吩(IDT)中间单元和氰基茚酮(IC)或二氟代氰基茚酮(2F-IC)末端基团,设计并合成了6个窄带隙的非富勒烯受体材料。 其中,IDTDTP-C₂C₂-H和IDTDTP-C₂C₂-F中的DTP单元以1-乙基丙基为侧链,IDTDTP-C₆C₆-H和IDTDTP-C₆C₆-F中的DTP单元以1-己基庚基为侧链,IDTDTP-C₁₂-H和IDTDTP-C₁₂-F中的DTP单元以十二烷基为侧链。 6个分子均具有较窄的光学带隙(1.37~1.44 eV)。 相比于以IC为末端基团的分子(IDTDTP-C₂C₂-H、IDTDTP-C₆C₆-H和IDTDTP-C₁₂-H),由于氟原子的拉电子效应,以2F-IC为末端基团的分子(IDTDTP-C₂C₂-F、IDTDTP-C₆C₆-F和IDTDTP-C₁₂-F)具有红移的吸收光谱,以及更低的最高分子占有轨道能级(HOMO)和最低分子空轨道(LUMO)能级。 以宽带隙聚合物聚[2,6-(4,8-双(5-(2-乙基己基))噻吩-2-基)-苯并[1,2-b:4,5-b']二噻吩-alt-5,5-(1',3'-二-2-噻吩)-5',7'-双(2-乙基己基)-苯并[1',2'-c:4',5'-c']二噻吩-4,8-二酮](PBDB-T)为给体材料,制备了有机太阳能电池器件。 PBDB-T:IDTDTP-C₆C₆-F共混薄膜具有较高且更平衡的空穴/电子迁移率,以及良好的形貌,基于PBDB-T:IDTDTP-C₆C₆-F的有机太阳能电池获得了6.94%的能量转换效率,开路电压为0.86 V,短路电流密度为13.56 mA/cm²,填充因子为59.5%。     

meso取代卟啉衍生物的结构和光学性质

meso取代卟啉衍生物在红色电致发光材料上有较大的应用前景.本文采用密度泛函理论(DFT)B3LYP方法,对以反式二噻吩(S)作为能量传输供体的卟啉衍生物,Zn-5,10,15,20-tetra(2-[thiophen-2-yl]thiophene)porphyrin(SPZ)和5,10,15,20-tetra(2-[thiophen-2-yl]thiophene)porphyrin(TSP),进行了全优化.计算了二者的电离能(IP)、电子亲和势(EA)、空穴抽取能(HEP)、电子抽取能(EEP)、空穴和电子重组能(λ),评估了它们的载流子注入和传输能力.用含时密度泛函理论(TDDFT)/B3LYP/6-31G(d)方法计算了吸收光谱.用从头算单激发组态相互作用(CIS)方法优化了SPZ和TSP的最低激发单重态S1,并用含时Hartree-Fock(TDHF)方法研究它们的荧光光谱.理论计算结果表明,引入S基团对卟啉的光物理性质影响很大,尤其是电子注入和传输性质.     

Synthesis and characterization of isoindigo‐based polymers using CH‐arylation polycondensation reactions for organic photovoltaics

A series of three new low bandgap donor–acceptor–donor–acceptor^/ (D–A–D–A^/) polymers have been successfully synthesized based on the combination of isoindigo as the electron‐deficient acceptor and 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene as the electron‐rich donor, followed by CH‐arylation with different acceptors (4,7‐dibromo[c][1,2,5]‐(oxa, thia, and/or selena)diazole ( 4a‐c )). These polymers were used as donor materials for photovoltaic applications. All of the polymers are highly stable and show good solubility in chlorinated solvents. The highest power conversion efficiency of 1.6% was achieved in the bulk heterojunction photovoltaic device that consisted of poly ((E)?6‐(7‐(benzo‐[c][1,2,5]‐thiadiazol‐4‐yl)?2,3‐dihydrothieno‐[3,4‐b][1,4]dioxin‐5‐yl)?6′‐(2,3‐dihydrothieno‐[3,4‐b][1,4]‐dioxin‐5‐yl)?1,1′‐bis‐(2‐octyldodecyl)‐[3,3′‐biindolinylidene]‐2,2′‐dione) as the donor and PC₆₁BM as the acceptor, with a short‐circuit current density (J_sc) of 8.10 mA/cm², an open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.56 V and a fill factor of 35%, which indicates that these polymers are promising donors for polymer solar cell applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2926–2933     

Comparative Studies on DNA Binding,Photocleavage, and Photophysical Properties of Ru(II) Complexes Containing TIP {TIP = 2-(Thiophen-2-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthroline} Ligand

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - A thiophene contained imidazo phenanthroline ligand TIP {TIP = 2-(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-imidazo-[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline{ and its mononuclear Ru(II)...     

Rigid Nonfullerene Acceptors Based on Triptycene–Perylene Dye for Organic Solar Cells

Three kinds of nonconjugated rigid perylene bisimide (PBI) derivatives based on a triptycene core were designed, synthesized and characterized. The unique three‐dimensional (3D) conformation of triptycene could enable formation of polymer with the favorable morphology for organic polymer solar cells (PSCs) by relieving the self‐aggregation of rigid PBI units. The low‐lying LUMO energy levels of these compounds demonstrated that they are very suitable for use as acceptors in organic solar cells. A higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.15 % was obtained for the blend film using the compound with two PBI units ( T‐2 ) as the acceptor and commercial poly[[4,8‐bis[5‐(2‐ethylhexyl)thiophene‐2‐yl]benzo[1,2‐b :4,5‐b ′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl][3‐fluoro‐2‐[(2‐ethylhexyl)‐carbonyl]thieno[3,4‐b ]thiophenediyl]] (PCE‐10) as the electron donor.     

1,3-bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanediyl: the shortest rigid linear connector of phenylated photochromic units and a 1,5-dimethoxy-9,10-di(phenylethynyl)anthracene fluorophore

An excess of bis-1,3-(4-iodophenyl)bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, prepared in 63 % yield by iodination of 1,3-diphenylbicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, was selectively mono-coupled with 9-ethynyl-1,5-dimethoxy-10-phenylethynylanthracene (26), and subsequently with the zinc derivatives of 1-(2-methyl/methoxy-4-methyl-5-phenylthiophen-3-yl)-2-(2-methyl/methoxy-4-methylthiophen-3-yl)perfluorocyclopentenes (38-H-41-H). Regioselective synthesis of the 2-unsubstituted thiophenes 38-H-41-H required intermediate preparation of 2-trimethylsilyl-3,5-dimethyl-4-bromothiophene (37) or 2-trimethylsilyl-5-methoxy-3-methyl-4-bromothiophene (40). Protection of the alpha-position of the thiophene ring with a 2-trimethylsilyl group blocks the rearrangement of the 4-lithio derivatives into the corresponding 2-lithiated thiophenes. With the bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane fragment linking the photochromic units 1-3 and 1,5-dimethoxy-9,10-di(phenylethynyl)anthracene as a fluorescent part, quantitative resonance energy transfer between the excited state of the fluorophore (donor) and the closed form of the photochromic units 1-3 (acceptors) was observed. The closed forms of the methoxy-substituted photochromic units 2 and 3 are less resistant to UV light (313 nm) than the closed form of 1.     

小分子优先结晶构筑聚合物/非富勒烯共混体系互穿网络结构

非富勒烯小分子受体(SMAs)有序聚集决定聚合物/非富勒烯共混体系光伏电池的双分子复合几率。 然而,由于非对称相分离聚合物趋于优先形成网络,抑制小分子受体分子结晶。 在聚[(2,6-(4,8-二(5-(2-乙基己基噻吩-2-基)苯并[1,2-b:4,5-b']二噻吩))-alt-(5,5-(1',3'-二-2-噻吩基-5',7'-二(2-乙基己基)苯并[1',2'-c:4',5'-c']二噻吩-4,8-二酮))](PBDB-T)/9-二(2-亚甲基(3-(1,1-二氰基亚甲基)-6,7-二氟-茚酮))-5,5,11,11-四(4-己基苯基)-二噻吩并[2,3-d:2',3'-d']-s-引达省[1,2-b:5,6-b']二噻吩(IT-4F)共混体系,四氢呋喃蒸汽处理可提高IT-4F结晶性,150 ℃热退火可提高PBDB-T的结晶性。 因此,依次利用蒸汽退火和热退火处理薄膜,诱导小分子先结晶、聚合物后结晶,从而降低PBDB-T对小分子扩散的限制,构建高结晶互穿网络结构。 形貌优化后降低了双分子复合,器件光电转换效率从5.95%提高至7.18%。