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Cheng Y, Ji Y, Zhang D, Liu X, Xia Z, Liu X, Yang X, Huang W. Nitrogen-Blowing Assisted Strategy for Fabricating Large-Area Organic Solar Modules with an Efficiency of 15.6. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:1590. [PMID: 38891536 PMCID: PMC11174350 DOI: 10.3390/polym16111590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Organic solar cells (OSCs) are one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies due to their affordability and adaptability. However, upscaling is a critical issue that hinders the commercialization of OSCs. A significant challenge is the lack of cost-effective and facile techniques to modulate the morphology of the active layers. The slow solvent evaporation leads to an unfavorable phase separation, thus resulting in a low power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar modules. Here, a nitrogen-blowing assisted method is developed to fabricate a large-area organic solar module (active area = 12 cm2) utilizing high-boiling-point solvents, achieving a PCE of 15.6%. The device fabricated with a high-boiling-point solvent produces a more uniform and smoother large-area film, and the assistance of nitrogen-blowing accelerates solvent evaporation, resulting in an optimized morphology with proper phase separation and finer aggregates. Moreover, the device fabricated by the nitrogen-blowing assisted method exhibits improved exciton dissociation, balanced carrier mobility, and reduced charge recombination. This work proposes a universal and cost-effective technique for the fabrication of high-efficiency organic solar modules.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Xueyuan Yang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wenchao Huang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
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2
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Li F, Lin FR, Jen AKY. Current State and Future Perspectives of Printable Organic and Perovskite Solar Cells. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2307161. [PMID: 37828582 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202307161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Photovoltaic technology presents a sustainable solution to address the escalating global energy consumption and a reliable strategy for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Emerging photovoltaic technologies, especially the printable organic and perovskite solar cells, have attracted extensive attention due to their rapidly transcending power conversion efficiencies and facile processability, providing great potential to revolutionize the global photovoltaic market. To accelerate these technologies to translate from the laboratory scale to the industrial level, it is critical to develop well-defined and scalable protocols to deposit high-quality thin films of photoactive and charge-transporting materials. Herein, the current state of printable organic and perovskite solar cells is summarized and the view regarding the challenges and prospects toward their commercialization is shared. Different printing techniques are first introduced to provide a correlation between material properties and printing mechanisms, and the optimization of ink formulation and film-formation during large-area deposition of different functional layers in devices are then discussed. Engineering perspectives are also discussed to analyze the criteria for module design. Finally, perspectives are provided regarding the future development of these solar cells toward practical commercialization. It is believed that this perspective will provide insight into the development of printable solar cells and other electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengzhu Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Francis R Lin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Alex K-Y Jen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong
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3
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He X, Liu ZX, Chen H, Li CZ. Selectively Modulating Componential Morphologies of Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2306681. [PMID: 37805706 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202306681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Achieving precise control over the nanoscale morphology of bulk heterojunction films presents a significant challenge for the conventional post-treatments employed in organic solar cells (OSCs). In this study, a near-infrared photon-assisted annealing (NPA) strategy is developed for fabricating high-performance OSCs under mild processing conditions. It is revealed a top NIR light illumination, together with the bottom heating, enables the selective tuning of the molecular arrangement and assembly of narrow bandgap acceptors in polymer networks to achieve optimal morphologies, as well as the acceptor-rich top surface of active layers. The derived OSCs exhibit a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.25%, representing one of the highest PCEs for the reported binary OSCs so far. Moreover, via the NPA strategy, it has succeeded in accessing top-illuminated flexible OSCs using thermolabile polyethylene terephthalate from mineral water bottles, displaying excellent mechanical stabilities. Overall, this work will hold the potential to develop organic solar cells under mild processing with various substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu He
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Zhi-Xi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Hongzheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Chang-Zhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
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4
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Rasool S, Yeop J, An NG, Kim JW, Kim JY. Role of Charge-Carrier Dynamics Toward the Fabrication of Efficient Air-Processed Organic Solar Cells. SMALL METHODS 2024; 8:e2300578. [PMID: 37649231 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202300578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Over the past couple of decades, immense research has been carried out to understand the photo-physics of an organic solar cell (OSC) that is important to enhance its efficiency and stability. Since OSCs undergoes complex photophysical phenomenon, studying these factors has led to designing new materials and implementing new strategies to improve efficiency in OSCs. In this regard, the invention of the non-fullerene acceptorshas greatly revolutionized the understanding of the fundamental processes occurring in OSCs. However, such vital fundamental research from device physics perspectives is carried out on glovebox (GB) processed OSCs and there is a scarcity of research on air-processed (AP) OSCs. This review will focus on charge carrier dynamics such as exciton diffusion, exciton dissociation, charge-transfer states, significance of highest occupied molecular orbital-offsets, and hole-transfer efficiencies of GB-OSCs and compare them with the available data from the AP-OSCs. Finally, key requirements for the fabrication of efficient AP-OSCs will be presented from a charge-carrier dynamics perspective. The key aspects from the charge-carrier dynamics view to fabricate efficient OSCs either from GB or air are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shafket Rasool
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
| | - Jiwoo Yeop
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
| | - Na Gyeong An
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Manufacturing, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia
| | - Jae Won Kim
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
| | - Jin Young Kim
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
- Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality, School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
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5
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Zhang J, Mao H, Zhou K, Zhang L, Luo D, Wang P, Ye L, Chen Y. Polymer-Entangled Spontaneous Pseudo-Planar Heterojunction for Constructing Efficient Flexible Organic Solar Cells. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2309379. [PMID: 37901965 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202309379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Flexible organic solar cells (FOSCs) have attracted considerable attention from researchers as promising portable power sources for wearable electronic devices. However, insufficient power conversion efficiency (PCE), intrinsic stretchability, and mechanical stability of FOSCs remain severe obstacles to their application. Herein, an entangled strategy is proposed for the synergistic optimization of PCE and mechanical properties of FOSCs through green sequential printing combined with polymer-induced spontaneous gradient heterojunction phase separation morphology. Impressively, the toughened-pseudo-planar heterojunction (Toughened-PPHJ) film exhibits excellent tensile properties with a crack onset strain (COS) of 11.0%, twice that of the reference bulk heterojunction (BHJ) film (5.5%), which is among the highest values reported for the state-of-the-art polymer/small molecule-based systems. Finite element simulation of stress distribution during film bending confirms that Toughened-PPHJ film can release residual stress well. Therefore, this optimal device shows a high PCE (18.16%) with enhanced (short-circuit current density) JSC and suppressed energy loss, which is a significant improvement over the conventional BHJ device (16.99%). Finally, the 1 cm2 flexible Toughened-PPHJ device retains more than 92% of its initial PCE (13.3%) after 1000 bending cycles. This work provides a feasible guiding idea for future flexible portable power supplies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayou Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center for Carbohydrate Synthesis/Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, 99 Ziyang Avenue, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Houdong Mao
- Institute of Polymers and Energy Chemistry (IPEC)/Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Chemistry, Nanchang University, 999 Xuefu Avenue, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Kangkang Zhou
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Science, Tianjin University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Lifu Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center for Carbohydrate Synthesis/Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, 99 Ziyang Avenue, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Dou Luo
- Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Pei Wang
- National Engineering Research Center for Carbohydrate Synthesis/Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, 99 Ziyang Avenue, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Long Ye
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Science, Tianjin University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Yiwang Chen
- National Engineering Research Center for Carbohydrate Synthesis/Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, 99 Ziyang Avenue, Nanchang, 330022, China
- Institute of Polymers and Energy Chemistry (IPEC)/Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Chemistry, Nanchang University, 999 Xuefu Avenue, Nanchang, 330031, China
- Peking University Yangtze Delta Institute of Optoelectronics, Nantong, 226010, China
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Wang H, Liu S, Yang Y, Li H, Wei Z, Cheng Y, Hou J, Xu B. Reducing the Depletion Region Width at the Anode Interface via a Highly Doped Conjugated Polyelectrolyte Composite for Efficient Organic Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:3744-3754. [PMID: 38224058 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c15126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
In the realm of organic solar cells (OSCs), the width of the depletion region at the anode interface is a critical factor that adversely impacts the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and the power conversion efficiency (PCE). To address this challenge, a novel approach involving a conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE)-based composite, PCP-2F-Li:POM, has been developed. This composite serves as a solution-processed hole transport layer (HTL), effectively minimizing the depletion region width in high-performance OSCs. The innovative aspect of PCP-2F-Li:POM lies in its "mutual doping" mechanism. Polyoxometalate (POM) is utilized as a dopant, facilitating the formation of p-doped CPE and n-doped POM within the composite. This results in a substantial increase in doping density, nearly 2 orders of magnitude higher than that observed in unmodified CPE. Consequently, the width of depletion region is markedly reduced, shrinking from 76.4 to 6.0 nm. This reduction plays a pivotal role in enhancing hole transport via the tunneling effect. The practical impact of this development is notable. It leads to an increase in Voc from 0.84 to 0.86 V, thereby contributing significantly to an impressive PCE of 18.04% in OSCs. Moreover, the compatibility of PCP-2F-Li:POM with large-area processing techniques underscores its potential as a viable HTL material for future practical applications. Additionally, its contribution to the enhanced long-term stability of OSCs further bolsters its suitability for practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Shuyan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Yi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Hao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Zhengrong Wei
- School of Physics, Hubei University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Cheng
- School of Physics, Hubei University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China
| | - Jianhui Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Bowei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
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7
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Chen T, Zheng X, Wang D, Zhu Y, Ouyang Y, Xue J, Wang M, Wang S, Ma W, Zhang C, Ma Z, Li S, Zuo L, Chen H. Delayed Crystallization Kinetics Allowing High-Efficiency All-Polymer Photovoltaics with Superior Upscaled Manufacturing. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2308061. [PMID: 37734746 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202308061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Though encouraging performance is achieved in small-area organic photovoltaics (OPVs), reducing efficiency loss when evoluted to large-area modules is an important but unsolved issue. Considering that polymer materials show benefits in film-forming processability and mechanical robustness, a high-efficiency all-polymer OPV module is demonstrated in this work. First, a ternary blend consisting of two polymer donors, PM6 and PBQx-TCl, and one polymer acceptor, PY-IT, is developed, with which triplet state recombination is suppressed for a reduced energy loss, thus allowing a higher voltage; and donor-acceptor miscibility is compromised for enhanced charge transport, thus resulting in improved photocurrent and fill factor; all these contribute to a champion efficiency of 19% for all-polymer OPVs. Second, the delayed crystallization kinetics from solution to film solidification is achieved that gives a longer operation time window for optimized blend morphology in large-area module, thus relieving the loss of fill factor and allowing a record efficiency of 16.26% on an upscaled module with an area of 19.3 cm2 . Besides, this all-polymer system also shows excellent mechanical stability. This work demonstrates that all-polymer ternary systems are capable of solving the upscaled manufacturing issue, thereby enabling high-efficiency OPV modules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Xiangjun Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Di Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Yuxuan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Center for Advanced Low-dimension Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, P. R. China
| | - Yanni Ouyang
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Physics, and Collaborative Innovation Centre for Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Jingwei Xue
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Mengting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Shanlu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Wei Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Chunfeng Zhang
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Physics, and Collaborative Innovation Centre for Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Zaifei Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Center for Advanced Low-dimension Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, P. R. China
| | - Shuixing Li
- Zhejiang University-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, 311200, P. R. China
| | - Lijian Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
- Zhejiang University-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, 311200, P. R. China
| | - Hongzheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
- Zhejiang University-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, 311200, P. R. China
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8
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Zhang H, Tian C, Zhang Z, Xie M, Zhang J, Zhu L, Wei Z. Concretized structural evolution supported assembly-controlled film-forming kinetics in slot-die coated organic photovoltaics. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6312. [PMID: 37813858 PMCID: PMC10562442 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42018-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Bulk-heterojunction structured small-area organic solar cells are approaching 20% power conversion efficiency, but the blurred film-forming kinetics in the fabrication of large-area devices causes significant PCE loss and restrains the potential of commercialization. Such blurring came from insufficient knowledge of structural evolution during the film-forming process. Here, we concretize the evolution process with structures detailed to the submolecular level by comprehensive investigations of in-situ UV-vis spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscope, Grazing Incident Wide Angle X-ray Scattering, and molecular dynamic simulation. With such hierarchical structural knowledge, assembly-controlled film-forming kinetics is proposed to explain the whole picture. Such assembly is determined by molecule configuration and can be tuned via external conditions. Understanding this kinetics will contribute to screening large-area device fabrication conditions, and the detailed structural knowledge could inspire the future design of novel photovoltaic materials that are intrinsically excellent in large-area device fabrications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 100190, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Chenyang Tian
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 100190, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Ziqi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 100190, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Meiling Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 100190, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Jianqi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 100190, Beijing, China.
| | - Lingyun Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 100190, Beijing, China
| | - Zhixiang Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 100190, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
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Jeon SJ, Yang NG, Kim JY, Kim YC, Lee HS, Moon DK. A 3-Fluoropyridine Manipulating the Aggregation and Fibril Network of Donor Polymers for Eco-Friendly Solution-Processed Versatile Organic Solar Cells. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2301803. [PMID: 37222123 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202301803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The development of eco-friendly solvent-processed organic solar cells (OSCs) suitable for industrial-scale production should be now considered the imperative research. Herein, asymmetric 3-fluoropyridine (FPy) unit is used to control the aggregation and fibril network of polymer blends. Notably, terpolymer PM6(FPy = 0.2) incorporating 20% FPy in a well-known donor polymer poly[(2,6-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl-3-fluoro)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)] (PM6) can reduce the regioregularity of the polymer backbone and endow them with much-enhanced solubility in eco-friendly solvents. Accordingly, the excellent adaptability for fabricating versatile devices based on PM6(FPy = 0.2) by toluene processing is demonstrated. The resulting OSCs exhibit a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.1% (17.0% by processed with chloroform) and low batch-to-batch variation. Moreover, by controlling the donor-to-acceptor weight ratio at 0.5:1.0 and 0.25:1.0, semi-transparent OSCs (ST-OSCs) yield significant light utilization efficiencies of 3.61% and 3.67%, respectively. For large-area (1.0 cm2 ) indoor OSC (I-OSC), a high PCE of 20.6% is achieved with an appropriate energy loss of 0.61 eV under a warm white light-emitting diode (3,000 K) with the illumination of 958 lux. Finally, the long-term stability of the devices is evaluated by investigating their structure-performance-stability relationship. This work provides an effective approach to realizing eco-friendly, efficient, and stable OSCs/ST-OSCs/I-OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Jae Jeon
- Nano and Information Materials (NIMs) Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Nam Gyu Yang
- Nano and Information Materials (NIMs) Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Ji Youn Kim
- Nano and Information Materials (NIMs) Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Ye Chan Kim
- Nano and Information Materials (NIMs) Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Hyoung Seok Lee
- Nano and Information Materials (NIMs) Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Doo Kyung Moon
- Nano and Information Materials (NIMs) Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
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10
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Xiang J, Liu ZX, Chen H, Li CZ. Robust and Sustainable Indium Anode Leading to Efficient and Stable Organic Solar Cells. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2303729. [PMID: 37452690 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202303729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The fast degradation of the charge-extraction interface at indium tin oxide (ITO) poses a significant obstacle to achieving long-term stability for organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, a sustainable approach for recycling non-sustainable indium to construct efficient and stable OSCs and scale-up modules is developed. It is revealed that the recovered indium chloride (InCl3 ) from indium oxide waste can be applied as an effective hole-selective interfacial layer for the ITO electrode (noted as InCl3 -ITO anode) through simple aqueous fabrication, facilitating not only energy level alignment to photoactive blends but also mitigating parasitic absorption and charge recombination losses of the corresponding OSCs. As a result, OSCs and modules consisting of InCl3 -ITO anodes achieve remarkable power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 18.92% and 15.20% (active area of 18.73 cm2 ), respectively. More importantly, the InCl3 -ITO anode can significantly extend the thermal stability of derived OSCs, with an extrapolated T80 lifetime of ≈10 000 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiale Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Zhi-Xi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Hongzheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Chang-Zhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
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Rasool S, Kim JY. Prospects of glove-box versus air-processed organic solar cells. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:19337-19357. [PMID: 37462029 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02591h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
In the search for alternate green energy sources to offset dependence on fossil fuels, solar energy can certainly meet two needs with one deed: fulfil growing global energy demands due to its non-depletable nature and lower greenhouse gas emissions. As such, third generation thin film photovoltaic technology based organic solar cells (OSCs) can certainly play their role in providing electricity at a competing or lower cost than 1st and 2nd generation solar technologies. As OSCs are still at an early stage of research and development, much focus has been placed on improving power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) inside a controlled environment i.e. a glove-box (GB) filled with an inert gas such as N2. This was necessary until now, to control and study the local nanomorphology of the spin-coated blend films. For OSCs to compete with other solar energy technologies, OSCs should produce similar or even better morphologies in an open environment i.e. air, such that air-processed OSCs can result in similar PCEs in comparison to their GB-processed counterparts. In this review, we have compared GB- vs. air-processed OSCs from morphological and device physics aspects and underline the key features of efficient OSCs, processed in either GB or air.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shafket Rasool
- Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality, School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, South Korea.
| | - Jin Young Kim
- Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality, School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, South Korea.
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Ma DL, Zhang QQ, Li CZ. Unsymmetrically Chlorinated Non-Fused Electron Acceptor Leads to High-Efficiency and Stable Organic Solar Cells. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202214931. [PMID: 36433656 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202214931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Searching the cost-effective organic semiconductors is strongly needed in order to facilitate the practice of organic solar cells (OSCs), yet to be fulfilled. Herein, we have succeeded in developing two non-fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs), leading to the highest efficiency of 16.2 % for the NFREA derived OSCs. These OSCs exhibit the superior operational stabilities under one sun equivalent illumination without ultraviolet (UV) filtration. It is revealed that the modulation of halogen substituents on aromatic side chains, as the new structural tool to tune the intermolecular interaction and optoelectronic properties of acceptors, not only promotes the interlocked tic-tac-toe frame of three-dimensional stacks in solid, but also improves charge dynamics of acceptors to enable high-performance and stable OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- De-Li Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Qian-Qian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Chang-Zhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
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Chen S, Hong L, Dong M, Deng W, Shao L, Bai Y, Zhang K, Liu C, Wu H, Huang F. A Polyfluoroalkyl-Containing Non-fullerene Acceptor Enables Self-Stratification in Organic Solar Cells. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202213869. [PMID: 36333961 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202213869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The elaborate control of the vertical phase distribution within an active layer is critical to ensuring the high performance of organic solar cells (OSCs), but is challenging. Herein, a self-stratification active layer is realised by adding a novel polyfluoroalkyl-containing non-fullerene small-molecule acceptor (NFSMA), EH-C8 F17 , as the guest into PM6:BTP-eC9 blend. A favourable vertical morphology was obtained with an upper acceptor-enriched thin layer and a lower undisturbed bulk heterojunction layer. Consequently, a power conversion efficiency of 18.03 % was achieved, higher than the efficiency of 17.40 % for the device without EH-C8 F17 . Additionally, benefiting from the improved charge transport and collection realised by this self-stratification strategy, the OSC with a thickness of 350 nm had an impressive PCE of 16.89 %. The results of the study indicate that polyfluoroalkyl-containing NFSMA-assisted self-stratification within the active layer is effective for realising an ideal morphology for high-performance OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shihao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Ling Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Minghao Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Wanyuan Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Lin Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Yuanqing Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Kai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Chunchen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Hongbin Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Fei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
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