Recent Advances in Wide-Bandgap Photovoltaic Polymers

The past decade has witnessed significant advances in the field of organic solar cells (OSCs). Ongoing improvements in the power conversion efficiency of OSCs have been achieved, which were mainly attributed to the design and synthesis of novel conjugated polymers with different architectures and functional moieties. Among various conjugated polymers, the development of wide-bandgap (WBG) polymers has received less attention than that of low-bandgap and medium-bandgap polymers. Here, we briefly summarize recent advances in WBG polymers and their applications in organic photovoltaic (PV) devices, such as tandem, ternary, and non-fullerene solar cells. Addtionally, we also dissuss the application of high open-circuit voltage tandem solar cells in PV-driven electrochemical water dissociation. We mainly focus on the molecular design strategies, the structure-property correlations, and the photovoltaic performance of these WBG polymers. Finally, we extract empirical regularities and provide invigorating perspectives on the future development of WBG photovoltaic materials.

A heptacyclic acceptor unit developed for D–A copolymers used in polymer solar cells

A heptacyclic acceptor unit TTP and a D–A copolymer PBDTTTP based on it were synthesized. PBDTTTP:PC₇₁BM solar cells gave a PCE of 5.53%, and the maximum V_oc reached 1 V.

Poly(pentacyclic lactam-alt-diketopyrrolopyrrole) for field-effect transistors and polymer solar cells processed from non-chlorinated solvents

A highly crystalline conjugated polymer incorporating two electron-deficient units was applied in high performance organic field-effect transistors and polymer solar cells.

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.

Comparison of selenophene and thienothiophene incorporation into pentacyclic lactam-based conjugated polymers for organic solar cells

In this work, we compare the effect of incorporating selenophene versus thienothiophene spacers into pentacyclic lactam-based conjugated polymers for organic solar cells.

Third-generation solar cells: a review and comparison of polymer:fullerene, hybrid polymer and perovskite solar cells

Third-generation solar cells have excellent potential for delivering large scale, low-cost solar electricity. We review and compare the current understanding of the operation principles, performance improvements and future prospects for polymer:fullerene, hybrid polymer and perovskite solar cells.