Perylene Diimide-Based Zwitterion as the Cathode Interlayer for High-Performance Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells

Nonfullerene polymer solar cells (PSCs) have earned widespread and intense interest on account of their properties such as tunable energy levels, potential for low-cost production processes, reduced energy losses, and strong light absorption coefficients. Here, a water-/alcohol-soluble zwitterion perylene diimide zwitterion (PDI-z) consisted of sulfobetaine ion as a terminal substituent and PDI as a conjugated core was synthesized. PDI-z was employed as an electron-transport layer (ETL) for nonfullerene PSC devices, obtaining an optimal power conversion efficiency (PCE) above 11.23%. Moreover, nonfullerene PSCs with the PDI-z cathode interlayer displayed an excellent performance on a large scale of interlayer thickness, which was compatible with printing fabrication techniques. Additionally, the PDI-z interlayer presented good ability of modifying high work function metals (for instance, Au, Cu, and Ag) in nonfullerene devices, and the Ag device displayed a PCE of 9.38%. This work provides a good alternative ETL for high-efficiency nonfullerene PSCs.

New PDI-based small-molecule cathode interlayer material with strong electron extracting ability for polymer solar cells

A solution-processed and thickness-insensitive small-molecule perylene diimide derivative, namely PDI-N3I, was synthesized and successfully applied to conventional PSCs.