Synergistic Design of Imidazole-Based Polymer Donors for Enhanced Organic Solar Cell Efficiency

Within the realm of organic solar cells (OSCs), designing new high-efficiency polymer donors remains a significant challenge. Achieving the right balance in polymer backbone planarity is crucial: excessive planarity can lead to undesirable aggregation, while insufficient planarity can hinder the charge transport efficiency. In this study, we designed and synthesized an imidazole-based acceptor (A) unit for the first time and then investigated the impact of backbone planarity on charge transport capacity and power conversion efficiency (PCE). Backbone planarity was precisely tuned by incorporating isomeric alkyl chains on the thiophene π-bridge, resulting in four distinct polymer donors: MZC8-F, MZC8-Cl, MZEH-F, and MZEH-Cl. The results showed that the steric hindrance from the EH-branched alkyl chain induced backbone distortion and caused a blue-shift in the absorption spectrum. MZEH-Cl, with its poor planarity and excessively low HOMO energy level, achieved a PCE of just 7.6%. Through careful modulation, MZC8-Cl emerged as the most efficient, with a remarkable PCE of 17.3%, setting a new benchmark for imidazole-based polymer donors. This study not only deepens the understanding of the role of polymer backbone planarity in photovoltaic performance but also lays the groundwork for developing high-efficiency polymer donors.

Recent Advances of Benzodithiophene-Based Donor Materials for Organic Solar Cells

Recently, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs) has increased dramatically, making a big step toward the industrial application of OSCs. Among numerous OSCs, benzodithiophene (BDT)-based OSCs stand out in achieving efficient PCE. Notably, single-junction OSCs using BDT-based polymers as donor materials have completed a PCE of over 19%, indicating a dramatic potential for preparing high-performance large-scale OSCs. This paper reviews the recent progress of OSCs based on BDT polymer donor materials (PDMs). The development of BDT-based OSCs is concisely summarized. Meanwhile, the relationship between the structure of PDMs and the performance of OSCs is further described in this review. Besides, the development and prospect of single junction OSCs are also discussed.

Phenoxy Group-Containing Asymmetric Non-Fullerene Acceptors Achieved Higher VOC over 1.0 V through Alkoxy Side-Chain Engineering for Organic Solar Cells

Alkoxy side chain engineering on the β-position of the thienothiophene units of Y6 derivatives plays a vital role in improving photovoltaic performances with simultaneously increasing open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF). In this work, we prepared a series of asymmetric non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) by introducing alkoxy side chains and phenoxy groups on the state-of-the-art Y6-derivative BTP-BO-4F. For the comparison, 2O-BO-4F with a symmetric alkoxy side chain on the outer thiophene units and BTP-PBO-4F with an asymmetric N-attached phenoxy alkyl chain on the pyrrole ring are synthesized from BTP-BO-4F. Thereafter, we construct four asymmetric NFAs by introducing different lengths of linear/branched alkoxy chains on the β-position of the thienothiophene units of BTP-PBO-4F. The resulting NFAs, named L10-PBO, L12-PBO, B12-PBO, and B16-PBO (L = linear and B = branched alkoxy side chains), are collectively called OR-PBO-series. Unexpectedly, all OR-PBO NFAs exhibit strong edge-on molecular packing and weaker π-π interactions in the film state, which diminish the charge transfer in organic solar cell (OSC) devices. As a consequence, the optimal devices of OR-PBO-based binary blends show poor photovoltaic performances [power conversion efficiency (PCE) = 6.52-9.62%] in comparison with 2O-BO-4F (PCE = 12.42%) and BTP-PBO-4F (PCE = 15.30%) reference blends. Nevertheless, the OR-PBO-based binary devices show a higher Voc and smaller Vloss. Especially, B12-PBO- and B16-PBO-based devices achieve Voc over 1.00 V, which is the highest value of Y-series OSC devices to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, by utilizing higher Voc of OR-PBO binary blends, B12-PBO and B16-PBO are incorporated into the PM6:BTP-PBO-4F-based binary blend and fabricated ternary devices. As a result, the PM6:BTP-PBO-4F:B12-PBO ternary device delivers the best PCE of 15.60% with an increasing Voc and FF concurrently.

A polymer library enables the rapid identification of a highly scalable and efficient donor material for organic solar cells

The dramatic improvement of the PCE (power conversion efficiency) of organic photovoltaic devices in the past few years has been driven by the development of new polymer donor materials and non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs). In the design of such materials synthetic scalability is often not considered, and hence complicated synthetic protocols are typical for high-performing materials. Here we report an approach to readily introduce a variety of solubilizing groups into a benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole acceptor comonomer. This allowed for the ready preparation of a library of eleven donor polymers of varying side chains and comonomers, which facilitated a rapid screening of properties and photovoltaic device performance. Donor FO6-T emerged as the optimal material, exhibiting good solubility in chlorinated and non-chlorinated solvents and achieving 15.4% PCE with L8BO as the acceptor (15.2% with Y6) and good device stability. FO6-T was readily prepared on the gram scale, and synthetic complexity (SC) analysis highlighted FO6-T as an attractive donor polymer for potential large scale applications.

Synthesis and Study of the Optical Properties of a Conjugated Polymer with Configurational Isomerism for Optoelectronics

A π-conjugated polymer (PBQT) containing bis-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-benzo [1,2-b'] bithiophene (BDT) units alternated with a quinoline-vinylene trimer was obtained by the Stille reaction. The chemical structure of the polymer was verified by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF). The intrinsic photophysical properties of the solution were evaluated by absorption and (static and dynamic) fluorescence. The polymer PBQT exhibits photochromism with a change in absorption from blue (449 nm) to burgundy (545 nm) and a change in fluorescence emission from green (513 nm) to orange (605 nm) due to conformational photoisomerization from the trans to the cis isomer, which was supported by theoretical calculations DFT and TD-DFT. This optical response can be used in optical sensors, security elements, or optical switches. Furthermore, the polymer forms spin-coated films with absorption properties that cover the entire visible range, with a maximum near the solar emission maximum. The frontier molecular orbitals, HOMO and LUMO, were calculated by cyclic voltammetry, and values of -5.29 eV and -3.69, respectively, and a bandgap of 1.6 eV were obtained, making this material a semiconductor with a good energetic match. These properties could suggest its use in photovoltaic applications.

Dithieno[3,2-f:2',3'-h]quinoxaline-Based Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric Dual-Functional Energy-Harvesting Wide-Bandgap Polymer and its Backbone Isomer

Both organic solar cells (OSCs) and organic thermoelectrics (OTEs) are promising energy-harvesting technologies for future renewable and sustainable energy sources. Among various material systems, organic conjugated polymers are an emerging material class for the active layers of both OSCs and OTEs. However, organic conjugated polymers showing both OSC and OTE properties are rarely reported because of the different requirements toward the OSCs and OTEs. In this study, the first simultaneous investigation of the OSC and OTE properties of a wide-bandgap polymer PBQx-TF and its backbone isomer iso-PBQx-TF are reported. All wide-bandgap polymers form face-on orientations in a thin-film state, but PBQx-TF has more of a crystalline character than iso-PBQx-TF, originating from the backbone isomeric structures of α,α '/β,β '-connection between two thiophene rings. Additionally, iso-PBQx-TF shows inactive OSC and poor OTE properties, probably because of the absorption mismatch and unfavorable molecular orientations. At the same time, PBQx-TF exhibits both decent OSC and OTE performances, indicating that it satisfies the requirements for both OSCs and OTEs. This study presents the OSC and OTE dual-functional energy-harvesting wide-bandgap polymer and the future research directions for hybrid energy-harvesting materials.

Torsional disorder and planarization dynamics: 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene as a case study

Conjugated molecules with phenylethynyl building blocks are usually characterised by torsional disorder at room temperature. They are much more rigid in the electronic excited state due to conjugation. As a consequence, the electronic absorption and emission spectra do not present a mirror-image relationship. Here, we investigate how torsional disorder affects the excited state dynamics of 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene in solvents of different viscosities and in polymers, using both stationary and ultrafast electronic spectroscopies. Temperature-dependent measurements reveal inhomogeneous broadening of the absorption spectrum at room temperature. This is confirmed by ultrafast spectroscopic measurements at different excitation wavelengths. Red-edge irradiation excites planar molecules that return to the ground state without significant structural dynamics. In this case, however, re-equilibration of the torsional disorder in the ground state can be observed. Higher-energy irradiation excites torsionally disordered molecules, which then planarise, leading to important spectral dynamics. The latter is found to occur partially via viscosity-independent inertial motion, whereas it is purely diffusive in the ground state. This dissimilarity is explained in terms of the steepness of the potential along the torsional coordinate.

New Benzotriazole and Benzodithiophene-Based Conjugated Terpolymer Bearing a Fluorescein Derivative as Side-Group: In-Ternal Förster Resonance Energy Transfer to Improve Organic Solar Cells

A new benzodithiophene and benzotriazole-based terpolymer bearing a fluorescein derivative as a side group was synthesized and studied for organic solar cell (OSC) applications. This side group was covalently bounded to the backbone through an n-hexyl chain to induce the intramolecular Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) process and thus improve the photovoltaic performance of the polymeric material. The polymer exhibited good solubility in common organic chlorinated solvents as well as thermal stability (TDT10% > 360 °C). Photophysical measurements demonstrated the occurrence of the FRET phenomenon between the lateral group and the terpolymer. The terpolymer exhibited an absorption band centered at 501 nm, an optical bandgap of 2.02 eV, and HOMO and LUMO energy levels of −5.30 eV and −3.28 eV, respectively. A preliminary study on terpolymer-based OSC devices showed a low power-conversion efficiency (PCE) but a higher performance than devices based on an analogous polymer without the fluorescein derivative. These results mean that the design presented here is a promising strategy to improve the performance of polymers used in OSCs.

PBDB-T-Based Binary-OSCs Achieving over 15.83% Efficiency via End-Group Functionalization and Alkyl-Chain Engineering of Quinoxaline-Containing Non-Fullerene Acceptors

Molecular backbone modification, alkyl-chain engineering, and end-group functionalization are promising strategies for developing efficient high-performance non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs). Herein, two new NFAs, named TPQ-eC7-4F and TPQ-eC7-4Cl, are designed and synthesized. Both molecules have linear octyl chains on fused quinoxaline-containing heterocyclics as the central backbone and difluorinated (2F)/dichlorinated (2Cl) 1,1-dicyanomethylene-3-indanone (IC) as the end-group units. The influences of alkyl-chains on fused quinoxaline backbone and different halogenated end-groups on optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic performances of organic solar cells (OSCs) are studied. In comparison with TPQ-eC7-4Cl, TPQ-eC7-4F exhibits blue-shifted absorptions with higher molar extinction coefficients in the film state as well as in the donor/acceptor (D/A) blend film state and up-shifting lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level. As a result, the OSC devices based on the PBDB-T:TPQ-eC7-4F display an outstanding power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.83% with a simultaneously increased open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.85 V, a short-circuit current-density (J_sc) of 25.89 mA cm^-2, and a fill factor (FF) of 72.20%, whereas the PBDB-T:TPQ-eC7-4Cl-based OSC device shows a decent PCE of 14.48% with a V_oc of 0.84 V, a J_sc of 24.56 mA/cm², and an FF of 69.77%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest photovoltaic performance of PBDB-T-based single-junction binary-OSCs. In comparison, ascribed to the high crystallinity and low solubility of BTP-eC7-4Cl, the corresponding PBDB-T:BTP-eC7-4Cl-based OSC device shows poor photovoltaic performance (PCE of 11.87%). The experimental results demonstrate that fine-tuning the fused quinoxaline backbone with alkyl-chain and end-group functionalization are promising strategies to construct high-performance NFAs for PBDB-T-based single-junction binary-OSCs.

Modulation of the Fluorination Site on Side-Chain Thiophene Improved Efficiency in All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells

Fine-tuning the phase-separated morphology is of great importance to achieve efficient all-small-molecule organic solar cells (ASM-OSCs). In this work, a pair of isomers are designed and synthesized, namely, BDT-UF and BDT-DF, in which the fluorine atom in BDT-UF is close to the alkyl chain of side-chain thiophene, while that in BDT-DF is close to the center core. Owing to the noncovalent interaction between fluorine and hydrogen, BDT-DF shows a smaller dihedral angle between the thiophene side chain and the BDT core, which causes better molecular planarity. When mixed with N3, BDT-UF shows better miscibility, higher crystallinity, and more ordered molecule stacking in the blend film. Finally, the device of BDT-DF:N3 gains a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.5%, while that of BDT-UF:N3 shows an increase in Voc, Jsc, and FF and gains a PCE of 15.1%. Our work exhibits a way of adjusting the substitution site of fluorine atoms to improve the PCE of ASM-OSCs.

Fine Tuning Alkyl Substituents on Dithienoquinoxaline-Based Wide-Bandgap Polymer Donors for Organic Photovoltaics

The molecular design of wide-bandgap conjugated polymer donors (WB-CPDs) is a promising strategy for tuning the bulk heterojunction blend film morphologies to achieve high-performance organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Herein, we synthesize two WB-CPDs, namely, PBQ-H and PBQ-M, with and without methyl groups on the fused-dithieno[3,2-f:2',3'-h]quinoxaline (DTQx) moiety. We systematically investigate their structure-property relationship and OPV performances. The AFM and 2D grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) studies reveal that the PBQ-H:BO-4Cl BHJ blend shows strengthened aggregation behavior and stronger π-π stacking on face-on orientation compared with the PBQ-M:BO-4Cl BHJ blend, enhancing the phase separation, charge transport, and fill factor (FF). Blend film absorption spectra, however, show that the PBQ-H:BO-4Cl BHJ blend exhibits a lower absorption coefficient than that of the PBQ-M:BO-4Cl BHJ blend, which decreases the short-circuit current density (J_SC). As a consequence, the optimized PBQ-H:BO-4Cl BHJ blend delivers a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.88% with a J_SC of 23.97 mA/cm², an open-circuit voltage (V_OC) of 0.86 V, and an FF of 62.46%, compared with the PBQ-M:BO-4Cl BHJ blend (PCE of 11.81% with a J_SC of 24.78 mA/cm², a V_OC of 0.85 V, and an FF of 56.11%). Overall, this work demonstrates that alkyl group substitution on the DTQx moiety on the basis of WB-CPDs is critical for controlling the film morphology and thus obtaining high OPV performances.

Computational Evolution of High-Performing Unfused Non-Fullerene Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells

Materials optimization for organic solar cells (OSCs) is a highly active field, with many approaches using empirical experimental synthesis, computational brute-force approaches to screen candidates in a given subset of chemical space, or generative machine learning methods which often require significant training sets. While these methods may find high-performing materials, they can be inefficient and time-consuming. Genetic algorithms (GAs) are an alternative approach, allowing for the "virtual synthesis" of molecules and a prediction of their ``fitness' for some property, with new candidates suggested based on good characteristics of previously generated molecules. In this work, a GA is used to discover high-performing unfused non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) based on an empirical prediction of power conversion efficiency (PCE) and provides design rules for future work. The electron withdrawing/donating strength, as well as the sequence and symmetry of those units are examined. The utilization of a GA over a brute force approach resulted in speedups up to $1.8 \times 10^{12}$. New types of units not frequently seen in OSCs are suggested, and in total 5,426 NFAs are discovered with the GA. Of these, 1,087 NFAs are predicted to have a PCE greater than 18\%, which is roughly the current record efficiency. While the symmetry of the sequence showed no correlation with PCE, analysis of the sequence arrangement revealed that higher performance can be achieved with a donor core and acceptor end groups. Future NFA designs should consider this strategy as an alternative to the current A-D-A$'$-D-A architecture.

Simultaneously Achieving Highly Efficient and Stable Polymer:Non-Fullerene Solar Cells Enabled By Molecular Structure Optimization and Surface Passivation

Despite the tremendous efforts in developing non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) for polymer solar cells (PSCs), only few researches are done on studying the NFA molecular structure dependent stability of PSCs, and long-term stable PSCs are only reported for the cells with low efficiency. Herein, the authors compare the stability of inverted PM6:NFA solar cells using ITIC, IT-4F, Y6, and N3 as the NFA, and a decay rate order of IT-4F > Y6 ≈ N3 > ITIC is measured. Quantum chemical calculations reveal that fluorine substitution weakens the C═C bond and enhances the interaction between NFA and ZnO, whereas the β-alkyl chains on the thiophene unit next to the C═C linker blocks the attacking of hydroxyl radicals onto the C═C bonds. Knowing this, the authors choose a bulky alkyl side chain containing molecule (named L8-BO) as the acceptor, which shows slower photo bleaching and performance decay rates. A combination of ZnO surface passivation with phenylethanethiol (PET) yields a high efficiency of 17% and an estimated long T80 and Ts80 of 5140 and 6170 h, respectively. The results indicate functionalization of the β-position of the thiophene unit is an effective way to improve device stability of the NFA.

Novel Pyrrolo [3,4-b] dithieno [3, 2-f:2",3"-h] quinoxaline-8,10 (9H)-dione Based Wide Bandgap Conjugated Copolymers for Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells

Two D-A copolymers consisted of fused ring pyrrolo-dithieno-quinoxaline acceptor are synthesized with different donor units, i.e., benzodithiophene (BDT) with alkylthienyl (P134) and 2-ethylhexyloxy (P117) side chains. These copolymers are used as donor and a narrow bandgap acceptor Y6 to fabricate bulk heterojunction polymer solar cell devices. Owing to the strong electron-deficient fused ring pyrrolo-bithieno-quinoxaline and weak alkyl thienyl side chains in BDT, the polymer solar cells based on P134:Y6 attained the power conversion efficiency of 15.42%, which is higher than P117:Y6 counterpart (12.14%). The superior value of PCE for P134:Y6 could be associated with more well-adjusted charge transport, weak charge recombination, proficient exciton generation and dissociation into free charge carriers and their subsequent charge collection owing to the dense π-π stacking distance and more considerable crystal coherence length for the P134:Y6 thin films. This investigation confirms the great potential of a strong acceptor-weak donor tactic for developing efficient D-A copolymers consists of quinoxaline acceptor for polymer solar cells. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Thickness Dependence of Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of F8BT Thin Films

Electronic devices based on polymer thin films have experienced a tremendous increase in their efficiency in the last two decades. One of the critical factors that affects the efficiency of polymer solar cells or light emitting devices is the presence of structural defects that controls non-radiative recombination. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate a non-trivial thickness dependence of optoelectronic properties and structure (dis)order in thin conductive poly(9,9-dioctyfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole), F8BT, polymer films. The UV-Vis absorption spectra exhibited blue shift and peak broadening; significant changes in 0–0 and 0–1 radiative transition intensity was found in photoluminescence emission spectra. The density of state (DOS) was directly mapped by energy resolved-electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (ER-EIS). Satellite states 0.5 eV below the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) band were revealed for the thinner polymer films. Moreover, the decreasing of the deep states density in the band gap manifested an increment in the material structural ordering with increasing thickness. Changes in the ratio between crystalline phases with face-on and edge-on orientation of F8BT chains were identified in the films by grazing-incidence wide angle X-ray scattering technique. A thickness threshold in all investigated aspects of the films at a thickness of about 100 nm was observed that can be attributed to the development of J-H aggregation in the film structure and mutual interplay between these two modes. Although a specific structure–property relationship thickness threshold value may be expected for thin films prepared from various polymers, solvents and under different process conditions, the value of about 100 nm can be generally considered as the characteristic length scale of this phenomenon.

A Universal Nonhalogenated Polymer Donor for High-Performance Organic Photovoltaic Cells

Nonhalogenated polymers have great potential in the commercialization of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells due to their advantage in low-cost preparation. However, non-halogenated polymers usually have high highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels and inferior self-aggregation properties in solution, thus resulting in low power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Herein, two nonhalogenated polymers, PB1 and PB2, are prepared. When the polymers are used to fabricate OPV cells with BTP-eC9, the PB1-based device only gives a PCE of 5.3%, while the PB2-based device shows an outstanding PCE of 17.7%. After the introduction of PBDB-TF as the third component, the PB2:PBDB-TF:BTP-eC9-based device with an optimal weight ratio of 0.5:0.5:1 achieves a PCE up to 18.4%. More importantly, PB2 exhibits good compatibility with various nonfullerene acceptors to achieve better PCEs than those of classical polymer (PBDB-T and PBDB-TF)-based devices. When PB2 is combined with a wide-bandgap electron acceptor (F-BTA3), this device shows excellent PCE of 27.1% and 24.6% for 1 and 10 cm² devices, respectively, under light intensity of 1000 lux light-emitting diode illumination. These results provide new insight in the rational design of novel nonhalogenated polymer donors for further development of low-cost materials and broadening the application of OPV cells.

Effect of electron-withdrawing fluorine and cyano substituents on photovoltaic properties of two-dimensional quinoxaline-based polymers

In this study, strong electron-withdrawing fluorine (F) and cyano (CN) substituents are selectively incorporated into the quinoxaline unit of two-dimensional (2D) D-A-type polymers to investigate their effects on the photovoltaic properties of the polymers. To construct the 2D polymeric structure, electron-donating benzodithiophene and methoxy-substituted triphenylamine are directly linked to the horizontal and vertical directions of the quinoxaline acceptor, respectively. After analyzing the structural, optical, and electrochemical properties of the resultant F- and CN-substituted polymers, labeled as PBCl-MTQF and PBCl-MTQCN, respectively, inverted-type polymer solar cells with a non-fullerene Y6 acceptor are fabricated to investigate the photovoltaic performances of the polymers. It is discovered that the maximum power conversion efficiency of PBCl-MTQF is 7.48%, whereas that of PBCl-MTQCN is limited to 3.52%. This significantly reduced PCE of the device based on PBCl-MTQCN is ascribed to the formation of irregular, large aggregates in the active layer, which can readily aggravate the charge recombination and charge transport kinetics of the device. Therefore, the photovoltaic performance of 2D quinoxaline-based D-A-type polymers is significantly affected by the type of electron-withdrawing substituent.

Triphenyleno[1,2-c:7,8-c']bis([1,2,5]thiadiazole) as a V-Shaped Electron-Deficient Unit to Construct Wide-Bandgap Amorphous Polymers for Efficient Organic Solar Cells

The backbone shape of semiconducting polymers strongly affects their electronic properties and morphologies in films, yet the conventional design principle for building blocks focuses on using linear main chains to maintain high crystallinity. Here, we developed a V-shaped unit, triphenyleno[1,2-c:7,8-c']bis([1,2,5]thiadiazole) (TPTz), featuring two 1,2,5-thiadiazole rings fused to a triphenylene core with strong electron-withdrawing properties and an extended conjugation plane. We used TPTz to prepare a highly soluble copolymer, PTPTz-indacenodithiophene (IDT), which exhibited a wide bandgap of 1.94 eV and energy levels suitable for the donor polymer in organic solar cells (OSCs) in combination with non-fullerene acceptors. Despite the amorphous nature of the polymer film, single-junction OSCs with PTPTz-IDT:Y6 as the active layer achieved a power conversion efficiency of 10.4% (J_SC = 19.8 mA cm^-2; V_OC = 0.80 V; fill factor = 0.66), which is the highest value reported for a single-junction OSC with IDT-based donor polymers. This work demonstrates that TPTz is a promising electron-acceptor unit for developing functional polymers with zigzag structures.

Revealing the Side-Chain-Dependent Ordering Transition of Highly Crystalline Double-Cable Conjugated Polymers

We developed a series of highly crystalline double-cable conjugated polymers for application in single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs). These polymers contain conjugated backbones as electron donor and pendant perylene bisimide units (PBIs) as electron acceptor. PBIs are connected to the backbone via alkyl units varying from hexyl (C₆ H₁₂ ) to eicosyl (C₂₀ H₄₀ ) as flexible linkers. For double-cable polymers with short linkers, the PBIs tend to stack in a head-to-head fashion, resulting in large d-spacings (e.g. 64 Å for the polymer P12 with C₁₂ H₂₄ linker) along the lamellar stacking direction. When the length of the linker groups is longer than a certain length, the PBIs instead adopt a more ordered packing likely via H-aggregation, resulting in short d-spacings (e.g. 50 Å for the polymer P16 with C₁₆ H₃₂ linker). This work highlights the importance of linker length on the molecular packing of the acceptor units and the influences on the photovoltaic performance of SCOSCs.

Understanding the Microstructure Formation of Polymer Films by Spontaneous Solution Spreading Coating with a High-Throughput Engineering Platform

An important step of the great achievement of organic solar cells in power conversion efficiency is the development of low-band gap polymer donors, PBDB-T derivatives, which present interesting aggregation effects dominating the device performance. The aggregation of polymers can be manipulated by a series of variables from a materials design and processing conditions perspective; however, optimization of film quality is a time- and energy-consuming work. Here, we introduce a robot-based high-throughput platform (HTP) that is offering automated film preparation and optical spectroscopy thin-film characterization in combination with an analysis algorithm. PM6 films are prepared by the so-called spontaneous film spreading (SFS) process, where a polymer solution is coated on a water surface. Automated acquisition of UV/Vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectra and automated extraction of morphological features is coupled to Gaussian Process Regression to exploit available experimental evidence for morphology optimization but also for hypothesis formulation and testing with respect to the underlying physical principles. The integrated spectral modeling workflow yields quantitative microstructure information by distinguishing amorphous from ordered phases and assesses the extension of amorphous versus the ordered domains. This research provides an easy to use methodology to analyze the exciton coherence length in conjugated semiconductors and will allow to optimize exciton splitting in thin film organic semiconductor layers as a function of processing.

Wide-bandgap donor polymers based on a dicyanodivinyl indacenodithiophene unit for non-fullerene polymer solar cells

A wide-bandgap polymer donor with improved efficiency plays an important role in improving the photovoltaic performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs). In this study, two novel wide-bandgap polymer donors, PBDT and PBDT-S, were designed and synthesized based on a dicyanodivinyl indacenodithiophene (IDT-CN) moiety, in which benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) building blocks and IDT-CN are used as electron-sufficient and -deficient units, respectively. In our study, the PBDT and PBDT-S polymer donors exhibited similar frontier-molecular-orbital energy levels and optical properties, and both copolymers showed good miscibility with the widely used narrow-bandgap small molecular acceptor Y6. Non-fullerene polymer solar cells (NF-PSCs) based on PBDT:Y6 exhibited an impressive power conversion efficiency of 10.04% with an open circuit voltage of 0.88 V, a short-circuit current density of 22.16 mA cm-2 and a fill factor of 51.31%, where the NF-PSCs based on PBDT-S:Y6 exhibited a moderate power conversion efficiency of 6.90%. The enhanced photovoltaic performance, realized by virtue of the improved short-circuit current density, can be attributed to the slightly enhanced electron mobility, higher exciton dissociation rates, more efficient charge collection and better nanoscale phase separation of the PBDT-based device. The results of this work indicate that the IDT-CN unit is a promising building block for constructing donor polymers for high-performance organic photovoltaic cells.

Synergistic Effect of Dielectric Property and Energy Transfer on Charge Separation in Non-Fullerene-Based Solar Cells

In non-fullerene-based photovoltaic devices, it is unclear how excitons efficiently dissociate into charge carriers under small driving force. Here, we developed a modified method to estimate dielectric constants of PM6 donor and non-fullerene acceptors. Surprisingly, most non-fullerene acceptors and blend films showed higher dielectric constants. Moreover, they exhibited larger dielectric constants differences at the optical frequency. These results are likely bound to reduced exciton binding energy and bimolecular recombination. Besides, the overlap between the emission spectrum of donor and absorption spectra of non-fullerene acceptors allowed the energy transfer from donor to acceptors. Hence, based on the synergistic effect of dielectric property and energy transfer resulting in efficient charge separation, our finding paves an alternative path to elucidate the physical working mechanism in non-fullerene-based photovoltaic devices.

Selective Extraction of Nonfullerene Acceptors from Bulk-Heterojunction Layer in Organic Solar Cells for Detailed Analysis of Microstructure

Detailed analyses of the microstructures of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) layers are important for the development of high-performance photovoltaic organic solar cells (OSCs). However, analytical methods for BHJ layer microstructures are limited because BHJ films are composed of a complex mixture of donor and acceptor materials. In our previous study on the microstructure of a BHJ film composed of donor polymers and fullerene-based acceptors, we analyzed donor polymer-only films after selectively extracting fullerene-based acceptors from the film by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Not only was AFM suitable for a clear analysis of the morphology of the donor polymers in the BHJ film, but it also allowed us to approximate the acceptor morphology by analyzing the pores in the extracted films. Herein we report a method for the selective extraction of nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) from a BHJ layer in OSCs and provide a detailed analysis of the remaining BHJ films based upon AFM. We found that butyl glycidyl ether is an effective solvent to extract NFAs from BHJ films without damaging the donor polymer films. By using the selective extraction method, the morphologies of NFA-free BHJ films fabricated under various conditions were studied in detail. The results may be useful for the optimization of BHJ film structures composed of NFAs and donor polymers.

Understanding the Critical Role of Sequential Fluorination of Phenylene Units on the Properties of Dicarboxylate Bithiophene-Based Wide-Bandgap Polymer Donors for Non-Fullerene Organic Solar Cells

Design and development of wide bandgap (WBG) polymer donors with low-lying highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) are increasingly gaining attention in non-fullerene organic photovoltaics since such donors can synergistically enhance power conversion efficiency (PCE) by simultaneously minimizing photon energy loss (E_loss ) and enhancing the spectral response. In this contribution, three new WBG polymer donors, P1, P2, and P3, are prepared by adding phenylene cores with a different number of fluorine (F) substituents (n = 0, 2, and 4, respectively) to dicarboxylate bithiophene-based acceptor units. As predicted, fluorination effectively aides in the lowering of HOMO energy levels, tailoring of the coplanarity and molecular ordering in the polymers. Thus, fluorinated P2 and P3 polymers show higher coplanarity and more intense interchain aggregation than P1, leading to higher charge carrier mobilities and superior phase-separated morphology in the optimized blend films with IT-4F. As a result, both P2:IT-4F and P3:IT-4F realize the best PCEs of 6.89% and 7.03% (vs 0.16% for P1:IT-4F) with lower E_loss values of 0.65 and 0.55 eV, respectively. These results signify the importance of using phenylene units with sequential fluorination in polymer backbone for modifying the optoelectronic properties and realizing low E_loss values by synergistically lowering the HOMO energy levels.

Optimization of the Bulk Heterojunction of All-Small-Molecule Organic Photovoltaics Using Design of Experiment and Machine Learning Approaches

All-small-molecule organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells based upon the small-molecule donor, DRCN5T, and nonfullerene acceptors, ITIC, IT-M, and IT-4F, were optimized using Design of Experiments (DOE) and machine learning (ML) approaches. This combination enables rational sampling of large parameter spaces in a sparse but mathematically deliberate fashion and promises economies of precious resources and time. This work focused upon the optimization of the core layer of the OPV device, the bulk heterojunction (BHJ). Many experimental processing parameters play critical roles in the overall efficiency of a given device and are often correlated and thus are difficult to parse individually. DOE was applied to the (i) solution concentration of the donor and acceptor ink used for spin-coating, (ii) the donor fraction, (iii) the temperature, and (iv) duration of the annealing of these films. The ML-based approach was then used to derive maps of the power conversion efficiencies (PCE) landscape for the first and second rounds of optimization to be used as guides to determine the optimal values of experimental processing parameters with respect to PCE. This work shows that with little knowledge of a potential combination of components for a given BHJ, a large parameter space can be effectively screened and investigated to rapidly determine its potential for high-efficiency OPVs.

Polycarbazole and Its Derivatives: Synthesis and Applications. A Review of the Last 10 Years

Polycarbazole and its derivatives have been extensively used for the last three decades, although the interest in these materials briefly decreased. However, the increasing demand for conductive polymers for several applications such as light emitting diodes (OLEDs), capacitators or memory devices, among others, has renewed the interest in carbazole-based materials. In this review, the synthetic routes used for the development of carbazole-based polymers have been summarized, reviewing the main synthetic methodologies, namely chemical and electrochemical polymerization. In addition, the applications reported in the last decade for carbazole derivatives are analysed. The emergence of flexible and wearable electronic devices as a part of the internet of the things could be an important driving force to renew the interest on carbazole-based materials, being conductive polymers capable to respond adequately to requirement of these devices.

Organic Photovoltaic Cells for Indoor Applications: Opportunities and Challenges

With the growing development of the Internet of Things, organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells are highly desirable for indoor applications because of the unique features of light weight, flexibility, and coloration. Emission spectra of the commonly used indoor light sources are much narrower with lower light intensity as compared to the standard solar spectrum. High tunability in optical absorption, insensitivity to series resistance and the active layer thickness, and mild operating conditions make indoor OPV cells promising as a practically relevant technology. Currently, the OPV module has obtained a power conversion efficiency of over 20%, with excellent stability under indoor conditions. However, at the present stage, the device physics investigations and material design strategies developed in an OPV cell for indoor applications lag behind those for outdoor applications. In particular, the emerging characterizations in photovoltaic measurements have severely affected the reliability of reports. This Spotlight on Applications highlights these opportunities and challenges of OPV cells for indoor applications and reviews the recent progress in indoor OPV cells. In addition, we summarize some studies related to accurate measurement and provide some recommendations.

Improved photovoltaic properties of PM6-based terpolymer donors containing benzothiadiazole with a siloxane-terminated side chain

A new series of PM6-based terpolymers (PM10Si, PM20Si, and PM30Si) were designed and synthesized, and their photovoltaic properties based on the inverted deviced and the two-step sequential deposition (SD) were studied.

Achieving efficient polymer solar cells based on benzodithiophene–thiazole-containing wide band gap polymer donors by changing the linkage patterns of two thiazoles

Two conjugated polymers with different combinations of two thiazoles were synthesized to study their photovoltaic performances.

Thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione-based conjugated polymers for organic solar cells

Thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione (TPD) based conjugated polymers as an electron donor, acceptor and single-component for application in organic solar cells in the past ten years have been intensively reviewed in this Feature Article.