Organic solar cells based on small molecule donor and polymer acceptor

Small molecule donor/polymer acceptor(SD/PA)-type organic solar cells(OSCs) have attracted widespread attention in recent years due to the continuing power conversion efficiency(PCE) growth, near 10%, and the excellent thermal stability for the practical applications. However, the development of SD/PA-type OSCs lags far behind that of polymer donor/small molecule acceptor(PD/SA)-type OSCs, which are also based on the combination of small molecule and polymer, with the PCEs exceeding 18%. The rea...     

Design of bicontinuous donor/acceptor morphologies for use as organic solar cell active layers

In recent works, we demonstrated the achievement of bicontinuous donor/acceptor morphologies by the addition of conjugated block copolymers to a blend of conjugated homopolymer donors and fullerene acceptors. However, the domain sizes resulting in experiments were much larger than those of interest for high‐performance organic solar cells. Moreover, a significant concentration of fullerene acceptors was present in the donor domains. Here, we utilize simulations to study the bicontinuous donor/acceptor morphologies that result for different parametric conditions. Using such results, we provide guidelines for how to blend polymer materials to give rise to bicontinuous phases with the smaller and more compositionally pure domains that are desirable for organic photovoltaic applications. Our results can be generalized to treat a large range of donor and acceptor monomers. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 884–895     

Addressing dynamic photovoltaic processes at electrode:active layer and donor:acceptor interfaces in organic solar cells under device-operating conditions

This article presents our experimental studies to unravel the dynamic photovoltaic processes occurring at donor:acceptor(D:A)and electrode:active layer(E:A)interfaces under device-operating conditions by using two unique magneto-optical measurements,namely photo-induced capacitance and magnetic field effect measurement.First,we have found that a higher surface polarization of dielectric thin film can decrease the surface charge accumulation at E:A interface.The photo-induced capacitance results indicate that dielectric thin film plays a crucial role in the charge collection in generating photocurrent in organic solar cells.Second,our experimental results from magnetic field effect show that the binding energies of charge transfer(CT)states at D:A interface can be evaluated by using the critical bias required to completely dissociate the CT states.This is the first experimental demonstration that the binding energies of CT states can be measured under deviceoperating conditions.Furthermore,we use our measurement of magnetic field effect to investigate the most popular organic photovoltaic solar cells,organometal halide perovskite photovoltaic devices.The results of magneto-photoluminescence show that the photogenerated electrons and holes are inevitably recombined into electron–hole pairs through a spin-dependent process in the perovskites.Therefore,using spin polarizations can present a new design to control the photovoltaic loss in perovskites-based photovoltaic devices.Also,we found that introducing D:A interface can largely affect the bulk charge dissociation and recombination in perovskite solar cells.This indicates that the interfacial and bulk photovoltaic processes are internally coupled in developing photovoltaic actions in perovskite devices.Clearly,these magneto-optical measurements show a great potential to unravel the deeper photovoltaic processes occurring at D:A and E:A interfaces in both organic bulk-heterojunction and perovskite solar cells under device-operating conditions.     

Regulating the morphology of fluorinated non-fullerene acceptor and polymer donor via binary solvent mixture for high efficiency polymer solar cells

Fluorinated non-fullerene acceptors(NFAs) usually have planar backbone and a higher tendency to crystallize compared to their non-fluorinated counterparts, which leads to enhanced charge mobility in organic solar cells(OSCs). However, this selforganization behavior may result in excessive phase separation with electron donors and thereby deteriorate device efficiency.Herein, we demonstrate an effective approach to tune the molecular organization of a fluorinated NFA(INPIC-4 F), and its phase separation with the donor PBDB-T, by varying the casting solvent. A prolonged film drying time encourages the crystallization of INPIC-4 F into spherulites and consequently results in excessive phase separation, leading to a low device power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 8.1%. Contrarily, a drying time leads to fine mixed domains with inefficient charge transport properties,resulting in a moderate device PCE of 11.4%. An intermediate film drying time results in the formation of face-on π-π stacked PBDB-T and INPIC-4 F domains with continuous phase-separated networks, which facilitates light absorption, exciton dissociation as well as balanced charge transport towards the electrode, and achieves a remarkable PCE of 13.1%. This work provides a rational guide for optimizing the molecular ordering of NFAs and electron donors for high device efficiency.     

Non-fullerene acceptor fibrils enable efficient ternary organic solar cells with 16.6% efficiency

Optimizing the components and morphology within the photoactive layer of organic solar cells(OSCs) can significantly enhance their power conversion efficiency(PCE). A new A-D-A type non-fullerene acceptor IDMIC-4F is designed and synthesized in this work, and is employed as the third component to prepare high performance ternary solar cells. IDMIC-4F can form fibrils after solution casting, and the presence of this fibrillar structure in the PBDB-T-2F:BTP-4F host confines the growth of donors and acceptors into fine domains, as well as acting as transport channels to enhance electron mobility. Single junction ternary devices incorporating 10 wt% IDMIC-4F exhibit enhanced light absorption and balanced carrier mobility, and achieve a maximum PCE of 16.6% compared to 15.7% for the binary device, which is a remarkable efficiency for OSCs reported in literature. This non-fullerene acceptor fibril network strategy is a promising method to improve the photovoltaic performance of ternary OSCs.     

Synthesis of D-A copolymers based on thiadiazole and thiazolothiazole acceptor units and their applications in ternary polymer solar cells

We have designed and synthesized two wide bandgap new donor-acceptor (D-A) copolymers consisting of the same alkylthiazole-substituted benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b′]dithiophene (BDTTz) donor unit and but different acceptor units, i.e., thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole (TT_Z) ( P122 ) and 1,3,-4 thiadiazole (TDz) ( P123 ) and investigated their optical and electrochemical properties. We have employed these copolymers as donor and fullerene (PC ₇₁ BM) and narrow bandgap non-fullerene (Y6) as acceptor, to fabricate binary and ternary bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells (PSCs). The overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of optimized binary bulk heterojunction PSCs based on P122 :Y6 and P123 :Y6 is 12.60% and 13.16%, respectively. The higher PCE for PSCs based on P123 than P122 counterparts may be associated with the broader absorption profile of the P123 and more charge carrier mobilities than that for the P122 active layer. With the incorporation of small amount of PC₇₁BM into either P122 :Y6 or P123 :Y6 binary blend, the corresponding ternary PSCs showed an overall PCE of 14.89% and 15.52%, respectively, which is higher than the binary counterparts using either Y6 or PC₇₁BM as acceptor. Incorporating the PC₇₁BM in the binary host blend increases the absorption in the 300–500 nm wavelength region, generating more excitons in the active ternary layer and helping to dissociate the excitons into free charge carriers more effectively. The more appropriate nanoscale phase separation in the active ternary layer than the binary counterpart may be one of the reasons for higher PCE.     

Realizing high-performance organic solar cells through precise control of HOMO driving force based on ternary alloy strategy

A good deal of studies have proven that effective exciton dissociation and fast hole transport can operate efficiently in non-fullerene organic photovoltaics(OPVs)despite nearly zero driving force.Even so,whether such a phenomenon is universal and how small the driving force can realize the best photovoltaic performance still require a thorough understanding.Herein,despite the zero driving force based on PM6:F8IC system,a maximum short-circuit current(J_sc)of 23.0 mA/cm² and high power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 12.2%can still be achieved.Due to the continuously adjustable energy levels can be realized in organic semiconducting alloys including F8IC:IT-4F and F8IC:Y6,the suitable third components can play the role of energy level regulator.Therefore,the HOMO energy level offset(DEHOMO(D A))from zero to 0.07 and 0.06 eV is accomplished in the optimized IT-4F and Y6 ternary devices.Consequently,both ternary devices achieved substantially increased PCE of 13.8%and Jsc of 24.4 and 25.2 mA/cm²,respectively.Besides,pseudo-planar heterojunction(PPHJ)devices based on alloyed acceptors through sequential spin-coating method further improve the photovoltaic performance.Our work puts forward the concept of energy level regulator and prove that the ternary alloy strategy has unique advantages and huge research potential in continuously adjusting the driving force.     

A combined experimental and theoretical investigation of donor and acceptor interface in efficient aqueous-processed polymer/nanocrystal hybrid solar cells

As a route to improving the energy conversion of organic-inorganic hybrid-solar cells, we have tested the performance of poly (phenylene vinylene) (PPV), poly(2,5-thienylene vinylene) (PWTV) polymers and CdTe nanocrystal devices produced via aqueous-processing. It is found that small differences in the conformation of the sensitizer lead to dramatic effects on the solar cell efficiency. Using a combination of UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and first-principles non-adiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) based on time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT), PPV is found to have a longer electron injection and recombination time despite seeming to have a better energy alignment with the substrate, which leads to a higher devices performance than PWTV. The present results shed new light on the understanding of organic-inorganic hybrid-solar cells and will trigger further experimental and theoretical investigations.     

Influencing the morphology of polymer blends through graft copolymers

Graft copolymers have a potential as compatibilizers in two-component thermoplastic polymer blends, and also as impact-modifiers in one-component thermoplastics. The compatibility of the blocks of the copolymer (i.e. the grafts and the main chain) with the chains of the matrix polymers must be adjusted carefully. Blends of various polymers, especially of polystyrene (PS) and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), with graft copolymers on the basis of polybutadiene are discussed. An excellent compatibilizer, for blends PS/PVC, is a block-graft copolymer, derived from a diblock copolymer of Styrene and butadiene, with grafts of cyclohexyl methacrylate monomelic units.     

High open-circuit voltage organic solar cells enabled by a difluorobenzoxadiazole-based conjugated polymer donor

A new polymer donor based on 3,3′-difluoro-2,2′-bithiophene(2F2T) and difluorobenzoxadiazole(ffBX), named 2F2T-ffBX, is designed and synthesized. The organic solar cell(OSC) based on 2F2T-ffBX donor and [6,6]-phenyl-C60-butyl acid methyl ester([60]PCBM) acceptor exhibits a high efficiency of 7.3% with a high open-circuit voltage(V_(oc)) of 1.03 V. When blended with perylenediimide-based acceptor(PDI6), the corresponding OSC shows a higher V_(oc) of 1.19 V with a low energy loss of 0.50 e V but a much lower efficiency of 2.0%. The detailed analyses including charge generation, transport, recombination properties, and morphology were performed to understand the performance of corresponding devices.     

Bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells based on binary and ternary blend systems

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated using a ternary blend film consisting two conjugated polymers and a soluble fullerene derivative as the donor and acceptor materials, respectively. And, to compare ternary blend system, the single‐component copolymers consisting of the repeating units of each of the copolymers, used in ternary blend solar cells, were designed and synthesized for use as the electron donor materials in binary blend solar cells. We systematically investigated the field‐effect carrier mobilities and the optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties of the copolymers. Under optimized conditions, the binary blend polymer systems showed power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) for the PSCs in the range 3.87–4.16% under AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW cm^?2). All polymers exhibited similar PCEs that did not depend on the ratio of repeating units. The binary blend solar cell containing a single‐component copolymer as the electron donor material performed better than the ternary blend solar cell in this work. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

A ternary organic solar cell with 300 nm thick active layer shows over 14% efficiency

In order to meet the requirements for making organic solar cells(OSCs) through solution printing techniques, great efforts have been devoted into developing high performance OSCs with relatively thicker active layers. In this work, a thick-film(300 nm)ternary OSC with a power conversion efficiency of 14.3% is fabricated by introducing phenyl-C_(61)-butyric-acid-methyl ester(PC_(61)BM) into a PBDB-T-2Cl:BTP-4 F host blend. The addition of PC_(61)BM is found to be helpful for improving the hole and electron mobilities, and thus facilitates charge transport as well as suppresses charge recombination in the active layers, leading to the improved efficiencies of OSCs with relatively thicker active layers. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of employing fullerene derivative PC_(61)BM to construct a high-efficiency thick-film ternary device, which would promote the development of thick layer ternary OSCs to fulfill the requirements of future roll to roll production.     

Effects of additives on the morphology of solution phase aggregates formed by active layer components of high-efficiency organic solar cells

Processing additives are used in organic photovoltaic systems to optimize the active layer film morphology. However, the actual mechanism is not well understood. Using X-ray scattering techniques, we analyze the effects of an additive diiodooctane (DIO) on the aggregation of a high-efficiency donor polymer PTB7 and an acceptor molecule PC(71)BM under solar cell processing conditions. We conclude that DIO selectively dissolves PC(71)BM aggregates, allowing their intercalation into PTB7 domains, thereby optimizing both the domain size and the PTB7-PC(71)BM interface.     

Controlled nanomorphology of PCDTBT-fullerene blends via polymer end-group functionalization for high efficiency organic solar cells

We propose a novel method for the control of nanoscale morphologies of the photoactive layers of organic solar cells by using end group functionalization of p-type polymers. The devices based on the end-fluorinated PCDTBT exhibit a remarkably enhanced efficiency as high as 6.0% without applying any post-treatments, additives or optical spacers.     

Synthesis of new di-anchoring organic sensitizer based on quinoxaline acceptor for dye-sensitized solar cells

New quinoxaline-based organic sensitizer bearing di-anchoring group for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was synthesized from diethyl 4,5-diaminophthaltate, in which was prepared under mild condition by using Takehito’s method. The synthesized sensitizer was compared with mono-anchoring sensitizer through absorption spectra, emission spectra, J-V curve, and IPCE spectra, indicating the di-anchoring group leads to a noticeable improvement of J_sc value owing to more efficient intramolecular charge transfer and channel number increment.     

A solution-processable electron acceptor based on diketopyrrolopyrrole and naphthalenediimide motifs for organic solar cells

A novel, solution-processable small molecular electron acceptor (HP1) based on diketopyrrolopyrrole and naphthalenediimide fragments was designed and synthesized via a Stille coupling reaction, characterized by spectroscopic means, and exhibited excellent solubility and thermal stability. HP1 exerted strong and very broad absorption tailing into the near infra-red region, with appropriate energy levels matching with the archetypal electron donor, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), and afforded 1.02% power conversion efficiency with a high open-circuit voltage (1.05 V) when tested in solution-processable bulk-heterojunction devices.     

A simple structure copolymer donor based on carboxylated benzodithiophene for polymer solar cells

Science China Chemistry - The design and development of low-cost and efficient photovoltaic materials remain a major challenge for the research and application of polymer solar cells (PSCs)....     

A new non-fullerene acceptor based on the heptacyclic benzotriazole unit for efficient organic solar cells

正Non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) become an interesting family of organic photovoltaic materials, and have attracted considerable interest for their great potential in manufacturing large-area flexible solar panels by low cost coating methods [1–5]. Recently, our group proposed in the first time an A-DA’D-A molecular strategy and synthesized a new class of non-fullerene acceptor Y6 with a record efficiency above 15%with single junction organic solar cells (OSCs)[6]. To further improve the photovoltaic performance     

Synthesis and characterization of benzobisthiazole based polymers as donor materials for organic solar cells

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