Contrasting the excited state properties of different conformers of trans- and cis-2,2'-bipyridine oligomers in the gas phase

In this article, we present conformation-dependent photophysical and excited state properties of trans- and cis- BPY oligomers. Oligomers up to tetramers for three conformers, namely, o-, m-, and p-, are constructed and optimized at the B3LYP-D3/def2-SVPD level. The photophysical and excited state properties are interpreted in terms of UV and CD spectra at the RI-ADC(2)/def2-TZVPD level. The UV spectra of oligomers of the m-conformer show high-intensity and red-shifted UV bands compared to o- and p-oligomers. The CD spectra of p-oligomers show intense CD bands compared to o- and p-oligomers in the case of trans-structures. In contrast, oligomers of each conformer of cis-structures show high-intensity CD bands. The excited states of (BPY)2 and (BPY)4 are also characterized by analysis of one-electron transition density matrix considering three descriptors: ωCT, dexc, and PRNTO. The ωCT values of dimers are in the range of 0.06-0.32, which indicates the excited states are mainly LE states, whereas, for (BPY)4, the ωCT values range from 0.17 to 0.53, indicating the possibility of partial CT in the excited states. These observations are also explained using the NTOs and e-h correlation plots.

Conformational Effect on the Excitonic States of 2-Phenylpyridine Oligomers: Ab Initio Studies and Analysis

In this work, we report the effect of different conformations of 2-phenylpyridine oligomers ((PhPy)n=1-5) on the excited state properties from the results obtained at the RI-ADC(2)/def2-TZVP level. Three different conformers, namely, A, B, and C, are considered for each oligomer. All the oligomers of conformer A have linear-type structures, whereas conformers B and C form helical structures at n = 5 and n = 3, respectively. The differences in the geometries of the three conformers are reflected in the UV and CD spectra. The UV spectra of conformer A show high-intensity peaks compared to the conformers B and C, for each oligomer. While the helical oligomers of conformers B and C show high-intensity CD bands, the intensities of CD bands for all of the oligomers of conformer A are weaker. Analysis of the properties of the first five excited states in (PhPy)5 is carried out using three descriptors, and the results reveal that these are partially charge transfer states.

Recent progress in porphyrin- and phthalocyanine-containing perovskite solar cells

In this review, we summarize the application of porphyrins and phthalocyanines in perovskite solar cells to date. Since the first porphyrin- and phthalocyanine-based perovskite solar cells were reported in 2009, their power conversion efficiency has dramatically increased from 3.9% to over 20%. Porphyrins and phthalocyanines have mostly been used as the charge selective layers in these cells. In some cases, they have been used inside the perovskite photoactive layer to form two-dimensional perovskite structures. In other cases, they were used at the interface to engineer the surface energy level. This review gives a chronological introduction to the application of porphyrins and phthalocyanines for perovskite solar cells depending on their role. This review article also provides the history of porphyrin and phthalocyanine derivative development from the perspective of perovskite solar cell applications.

Fine Structural Tuning of Thieno[3,2- b] Pyrrole Donor for Designing Banana-Shaped Semiconductors Relevant to Organic Field Effect Transistors

On the basis of the newly synthesized banana-shaped thieno[3,2- b] pyrrole building block [Bulumulla, C.; Gunawardhana, R.; Kularatne, R. N.; Hill, M. E.; McCandless, G. T.; Biewer, M. C.; Stefan, M. C. Thieno[3,2- b] pyrrole-Benzothiadiazole Banana-Shaped Small Molecules for Organic Field Effect Transistors. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2018, 10, 11818-11825], several small molecules that can be used as organic semiconducting materials were theoretically designed. We have shown that these novel molecules with the donor-π conjugated bridge-acceptor-π conjugated bridge-donor (D-π-A-π-D) building block exhibit superior charge transport properties in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). A variety of donors, π-bridges, and acceptors are examined, and the structural, electronic, optical, and charge transport properties of designed semiconductors are systematically investigated. The results highlight the impact of the core acceptor in improving the transport properties of the designed molecules. In particular, this work points toward the benzo-bis(1,2,5-thiadiazole) as the most promising acceptor that can be combined with thiophene π-bridge and flanked benzo-thiadiazole terminal units to produce a reasonable candidate for synthesis and for incorporating into OFET materials. For the suggested semiconductor, the small electron reorganization energy and large intramolecular coupling originating from dense π-stacking gave rise to enhanced electron mobility. This strategy can be helpful for further improving the performance of curved small molecules in field-effect devices.

Hole-Transfer Dependence on Blend Morphology and Energy Level Alignment in Polymer: ITIC Photovoltaic Materials

Bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaic materials containing nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) have seen remarkable advances in the past year, finally surpassing fullerenes in performance. Indeed, acceptors based on indacenodithiophene (IDT) have become synonymous with high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Nevertheless, NFAs have yet to achieve fill factors (FFs) comparable to those of the highest-performing fullerene-based materials. To address this seeming anomaly, this study examines a high efficiency IDT-based acceptor, ITIC, paired with three donor polymers known to achieve high FFs with fullerenes, PTPD3T, PBTI3T, and PBTSA3T. Excellent PCEs up to 8.43% are achieved from PTPD3T:ITIC blends, reflecting good charge transport, optimal morphology, and efficient ITIC to PTPD3T hole-transfer, as observed by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Hole-transfer is observed from ITIC to PBTI3T and PBTSA3T, but less efficiently, reflecting measurably inferior morphology and nonoptimal energy level alignment, resulting in PCEs of 5.34% and 4.65%, respectively. This work demonstrates the importance of proper morphology and kinetics of ITIC → donor polymer hole-transfer in boosting the performance of polymer:ITIC photovoltaic bulk heterojunction blends.

Design of Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-Based Small Molecules for Organic-Solar-Cell Applications

After the first report in 2008, diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based small-molecule photovoltaic materials have been intensively explored. The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) for the DPP-based small-molecule donors have been improved up to 8%. Furthermore, through judicious structure modification, DPP-based small molecules can also be converted into electron-acceptor materials, and, recently, some exciting progress has been achieved. The development of DPP-based photovoltaic small molecules is summarized here, and the photovoltaic performance is discussed in relation to structural modifications, such as the variations of donor-acceptor building blocks, alkyl substitutions, and the type of conjugated bridges, as well as end-capped groups. It is expected that the discussion will provide a guideline in the exploration of novel and promising DPP-containing photovoltaic small molecules.

High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells Based on a Wide-Bandgap Polymer Containing Pyrrolo[3,4-f]benzotriazole-5,7-dione with a Power Conversion Efficiency of 8.63

A novel donor-acceptor type conjugated polymer based on a building block of 4,8-di(thien-2-yl)-6-octyl-2-octyl-5H-pyrrolo[3,4-f]benzotriazole-5,7(6H)-dione (TZBI) as the acceptor unit and 4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)-benzo-[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene as the donor unit, named as PTZBIBDT, is developed and used as an electron-donating material in bulk-heterojunction polymer solar cells. The resulting copolymer exhibits a wide bandgap of 1.81 eV along with relatively deep highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of -5.34 eV. Based on the optimized processing conditions, including thermal annealing, and the use of a water/alcohol cathode interlayer, the single-junction polymer solar cell based on PTZBIBDT:PC71BM ([6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester) blend film affords a power conversion efficiency of 8.63% with an open-circuit voltage of 0.87 V, a short circuit current of 13.50 mA cm-2, and a fill factor of 73.95%, which is among the highest values reported for wide-bandgap polymers-based single-junction organic solar cells. The morphology studies on the PTZBIBDT:PC71BM blend film indicate that a fibrillar network can be formed and the extent of phase separation can be mani-pulated by thermal annealing. These results indicate that the TZBI unit is a very promising building block for the synthesis of wide-bandgap polymers for high-performance single-junction and tandem (or multijunction) organic solar cells.

Cofacial Versus Coplanar Arrangement in Centrosymmetric Packing Dimers of Dipolar Small Molecules: Structural Effects on the Crystallization Behaviors and Optoelectronic Characteristics

Two D-π-A-A molecules (MIDTP and TIDTP) composed of an electron-rich ditolylamino group (D) and an electron-deficient 5-dicyanovinylenylpyrimidine (A-A) fragment bridged together with indeno[1,2-b]thiophene (IDT) were synthesized. These molecules provide an opportunity to examine in-depth the impact of side-chain variations (methyl vs p-tolyl) on the crystallization behaviors, solid-state morphology, physical properties, and optoelectronic characteristics relevant for practical applications. X-ray analyses on single-crystal structures indicate that methyl-substituted MIDTP forms "coplanar antiparallel dimers" via C-H···S interactions and organizes into an ordered slip-staircase arrays. In contrast, p-tolyl-bearing TIDTP shows "cofacial centrosymmetric dimers" via π-π interactions and packs into a less-ordered layered structures. The X-ray diffraction analyses upon thermal treatment are consistent with a superior crystallinity of MIDTP, as compared to that of TIDTP. This difference indicates a greater propensity to organization by introduction of the smaller methyl group versus the bulkier p-tolyl group. The increased propensity for order by MIDTP facilitates the crystallization of MIDTP in both solution-processed and vacuum-deposited thin films. MIDTP forms solution-processed single-crystal arrays that deliver OFET hole mobility of 6.56 × 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), whereas TIDTP only forms amorhpous films that gave lower hole mobility of 1.34 × 10(-5) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). MIDTP and TIDTP were utilized to serve as donors together with C70 as acceptor in the fabrication of small-molecule organic solar cells (SMOSCs) with planar heterojunction (PHJ) or planar-mixed heterojunction (PMHJ) device architectures. OPV devices based on higher crystalline MIDTP delivered power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 2.5% and 4.3% for PHJ and PMHJ device, respectively, which are higher than those of TIDTP-based cells. The improved PCEs of MIDTP-based devices are attributed to better hole-transport character.

Sulfoxide-directed metal-free cross-couplings in the expedient synthesis of benzothiophene-based components of materials

A metal-free approach combining sulfoxide-directed metal-free C-H cross-couplings with tuneable electrophile-mediated heterocyclizations and carbocyclative dimerizations, allows expedient access to benzothiophene-based systems that are components of important materials or are proven organic materials in their own right. As benzothiophene-based materials are typically prepared using Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling processes, our approach allows potential issues of metal cost and supply, and metal-contamination of products, to be avoided.

Influence of the terminal donor on the performance of 4,8-dialkoxybenzo[1,2-b:4,5′]dithiophene based small molecules for efficient solution-processed organic solar cells

New dialkoxybenzo[1,2-b:4,5′]dithiophene based small molecules, BDT(PTBT)₂ and BDT(TTBT)₂, are designed and synthesized. BDT(TTBT)₂ shows higher PCE than BDT(PTBT)₂.

A conformational locking strategy in linked-acceptor type polymers for organic solar cells

The concept of introducing intramolecular noncovalent conformational locks into the polymer main chain was implemented to improve the coplanarity of the linked-acceptor polymers. As a result, the novel polymer shows the best power conversion efficiency of 8.18%.

Naphthodithiophene-Based Conjugated Polymer with Linear, Planar Backbone Conformation and Strong Intermolecular Packing for Efficient Organic Solar Cells

Two donor-acceptor copolymers, PBDT and PNDT, containing 4,8-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b']dithiophene (BDT) and 4,9-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)naphtho[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene (NDT), respectively, as an electron-rich unit and 5,6-difluoro-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (2FBT) as an electron-deficient unit, were synthesized and compared. The introduction of the NDT core into the conjugated backbone was found to effectively improve both light harvesting and the charge carrier mobility by enhancing chain planarity and backbone linearity; the NDT copolymer has stronger noncovalent interactions and smaller bond angles than those of the BDT-based polymer. Moreover, the introduction of the NDT core brings about a drastic change in the molecular orientation into the face-on motif and results in polymer:PCBM blend films with well-mixed interpenetrating nanofibrillar bulk-heterojunction networks with small-scale phase separation, which produce solar cells with higher short-circuit current density and fill factor values. A conventional optimized device structure containing PNDT:PC71BM was found to exhibit a maximum solar efficiency of 6.35%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.84 V, a short-circuit current density of 11.92 mA cm(-2), and a fill factor of 63.5% with thermal annealing, which demonstrates that the NDT and DT2FBT moieties are a promising electron-donor/acceptor combination for high-performance photovoltaics.

Improving Photovoltaic Performance of the Linear A-Ar-A-type Small Molecules with Diketopyrropyrrole Arms by Tuning the Linkage Position of the Anthracene Core

Two isomeric A-Ar-A-type small molecules of DPP2An(9,10) and DPP2An(2,6), were synthesized with two acceptor arms of diketopyrropyrroles (DPP) and a planar aryl hydrocarbon core of the different substituted anthracene (An), respectively. Their thermal stability, crystallinity, optoelectronic, and photovoltaic performances were investigated. Significantly red-shifted absorption profile and higher HOMO level were observed for the DPP2An(2,6) with 2,6-substituted anthracene relative to the DPP2An(9,10) with 9,10-substituted anthracene, as the former exhibited better planarity and a larger conjugate system. As a result, the solution-processing solar cells based on DPP2An(2,6) and PC71BM (w/w,1:1) displayed remarkably increased power conversion efficiency of 5.44% and short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 11.90 mA/cm(2) under 1% 1,8-diiodooctane additive. The PCE and Jsc values were 3.7 and 2.9 times those of the optimized DPP2An(9,10)-based cells, respectively. This work demonstrates that changing the linkage position of the anthracene core in the A-Ar-A-type SMs can strongly improve the photovoltaic properties in organic solar cells.

A–D–A small molecules for solution-processed organic photovoltaic cells

The recent representative progress in the design and synthesis of A–D–A small molecules for organic solar cells is summarized.

Donor–acceptor conjugated polymers based on multifused ladder-type arenes for organic solar cells

In this review, we summarize the recent development of the multifused ladder-type conjugated building blocks for making donor–acceptor conjugated copolymers.

Decoupling the optical and electrical properties of subphthalocyanine/C70bi-layer organic photovoltaic devices: improved photocurrent while maintaining a high open-circuit voltage and fill factor

Optimizing performance of fullerene-based small-molecule bi-layer organic photovoltaic devices.

Influence of the fused hetero-aromatic centers on molecular conformation and photovoltaic performance of solution-processed organic solar cells

Tuning the thiophene-fused building centers is a facile way to alter the molecular conformation and enhance photovoltaic performance.

Thiophene-based push–pull chromophores for small molecule organic solar cells (SMOSCs)

A concise review on small molecules organic solar cells based on π-conjugated thiophene scaffolds.

Naphthodithiophenes: emerging building blocks for organic electronics

Linear-fused naphthodithiophenes (NDTs) are emerging building blocks in the development of new semiconducting small molecules, oligomers, and polymers. The promising nature of NDT-based materials as organic semiconductors has been demonstrated by superior device characteristics in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaics (OPVs) in the last few years. In particular, it is quite impressive that a power conversion efficiency as high as 8.2% has been achieved for a single-junction OPV cell consisting of NDT-based semiconducting polymers and a fullerene derivative in such a short period of time. Here, we provide an overview of recent synthetic evolutions in NDT chemistry and progress in NDT-based materials, especially conjugated oligomers and polymers and their applications to OFETs and OPVs.

Impact of the electron-transport layer on the performance of solution-processed small-molecule organic solar cells

Although the performance of polymer solar cells has been improved significantly recently through careful optimization with different interlayers for the same materials, more improvement is needed in this respect for small-molecule-based solar cells, particularly for the electron-transport layers (ETLs). In this work, three different solution-processed ETLs, PFN, ZnO nanoparticles, and LiF, were investigated and compared in the performance of small-molecule-based devices, and power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 8.32, 7.30, and 7.38% were achieved, respectively. The mechanism for the ETL-induced enhancement has been studied, and different ETLs have a significantly different impact on the device performance. The clearly improved performance of PFN is attributed to the combination of reduced bimolecular recombination and increased effective photon absorption in the active layer.

Nanoscopic management of molecular packing and orientation of small molecules by a combination of linear and branched alkyl side chains

We synthesized a series of acceptor-donor-acceptor-type small molecules (SIDPP-EE, SIDPP-EO, SIDPP-OE, and SIDPP-OO) consisting of a dithienosilole (SI) electron-donating moiety and two diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) electron-withdrawing moieties each bearing linear n-octyl (O) and/or branched 2-ethylhexyl (E) alkyl side chains. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that SIDPP-EE and SIDPP-EO films were highly crystalline with pronounced edge-on orientation, whereas SIDPP-OE and SIDPP-OO films were less crystalline with a radial distribution of molecular orientations. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy disclosed an edge-on orientation with a molecular backbone tilt angle of ∼22° for both SIDPP-EE and SIDPP-EO. Our analysis of the molecular packing and orientation indicated that the shorter 2-ethylhexyl groups on the SI core promote tight π-π stacking of the molecular backbone, whereas n-octyl groups on the SI core hinder close π-π stacking to some degree. Conversely, the longer linear n-octyl groups on the DPP arms facilitate close intermolecular packing via octyl-octyl interdigitation. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics molecular dynamics simulations determined the optimal three-dimensional positions of the flexible alkyl side chains of the SI and DPP units, which elucidates the structural cause of the molecular packing and orientation explicitly. The alkyl-chain-dependent molecular stacking significantly affected the electrical properties of the molecular films. The edge-on oriented molecules showed high hole mobilities in organic field-effect transistors, while the radially oriented molecules exhibited high photovoltaic properties in organic photovoltaic cells. These results demonstrate that appropriate positioning of alkyl side chains can modulate crystallinity and molecular orientation in SIDPP films, which ultimately have a profound impact on carrier transport and photovoltaic performance.

Evaluation of heterocycle-modified pentathiophene-based molecular donor materials for solar cells

Two novel solution-processable acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A)-structured organic small molecules with diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) as terminal acceptor units and pentathiophene (PTA) or pyrrole-modified pentathiophene (NPTA) as the central donor unit, namely, DPP2(PTA) and DPP2(NPTA), were designed and synthesized. We examined the effects of changing the central bridging heteroatoms of the five-ring-fused thienoacene core identity from sulfur [DPP2(PTA)] to nitrogen [DPP2(NPTA)] in the small-molecule donor material. Replacement of the bridging atom with a different electronic structure has a visible effect on both the optical and electrical properties: DPP2(NPTA), which contains much more electron-rich pyrrole in the central thienoacene unit, possesses red-shifted absorption and a higher HOMO level relative to DPP2(PTA) with the less electron-rich thiophene in the same position. More importantly, substitution of the bridging atoms results in a change of the substituting alkyl chains due to the nature of the heteroatoms, which significantly tailored the crystallization behavior and the ability to form an interpenetrating network in thin-film blends with an electron acceptor. Compared to DPP2(PTA) with no alkyl chain substituting on the central sulfur atom of the PTA unit, DPP2(NPTA) exhibits improved crystallinity and better miscibility with PC71BM probably because of a dodecyl chain on the central nitrogen atom of the NPTA unit. These features endow the DPP2(NPTA)/PC71BM blend film higher hole mobility and better donor/acceptor interpenetrating network morphology. Optimized photovoltaic device fabrication based on DPP2(NPTA)/PC71BM (1.5:1, w/w) has resulted in an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 3.69% (the maximum PCE was 3.83%). This study demonstrates that subtle changes and tailoring of the molecular structure, such as simply changing the bridging heteroatom in the thienoacene unit in D/A-type small molecules, can strongly affect the physical properties that govern their photovoltaic performances.

5, 10-linked naphthodithiophenes as the building block for semiconducting polymers

We present new semiconducting polymers incorporating naphtho[1, 2-b:5, 6-b'] dithiophene (NDT3) and naphtho[2, 1-b:6, 5-b'] dithiophene (NDT4), which are linked at the naphthalene positions, in the polymer backbone. It is interesting that the trend in the ordering structure and thus charge transport properties are quite different from what were observed in the isomeric polymers where the NDT3 and NDT4 cores are linked at the thiophene α-positions. In the thiophene-linked NDT system, the NDT3-based polymer (PNDT3BT) gave the better ordering in thin films and thus the high charge carrier mobility compared to the NDT4-based polymer (PNDT4BT). In the meantime, in the naphthalene-linked NDT system, the NDT4-based polymer (PNDT4iBT) provided the superior properties. Considering that PNDT4iBT has relatively low highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level (-5.2 eV) and moderately high mobilities in the order of 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1, the NDT4 core, when linked at the naphthalene positions, can be a good building unit for the development of high-performance semiconducting polymers for both organic field-effect transistors and photovoltaic devices.

Solution-grown single-crystalline microwires of a molecular semiconductor with improved charge transport properties

Preparation and structural analysis of highly ordered single crystalline wires of a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) molecular semiconductor grown through a solution process are reported, and the static/dynamic electrical response of an organic electronic device using the DPP semiconductor has been analyzed.