1
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Othman DM, Weinstein J, Huang N, Ming W, Lyu Q, Hou B. Solution-processed colloidal quantum dots for internet of things. NANOSCALE 2024. [PMID: 38804109 DOI: 10.1039/d4nr00203b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have been a hot research topic ever since they were successfully fabricated in 1993 via the hot injection method. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 was awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots. The Internet of Things (IoT) has also attracted a lot of attention due to the technological advancements and digitalisation of the world. This review first aims to give the basics behind QD physics. After that, the history behind CQD synthesis and the different methods used to synthesize most widely researched CQD materials (CdSe, PbS and InP) are revisited. A brief introduction to what IoT is and how it works is also mentioned. Then, the most widely researched CQD devices that can be used for the main IoT components are reviewed, where the history, physics, the figures of merit (FoMs) and the state-of-the-art are discussed. Finally, the challenges and different methods for integrating CQDs into IoT devices are discussed, mentioning the future possibilities that await CQDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diyar Mousa Othman
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK.
| | - Julia Weinstein
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7HF, UK
| | | | - Wenlong Ming
- School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK
| | - Quan Lyu
- Cambridge Research Centre, Huawei Technologies Research & Development (UK) Ltd, Cambridge, CB4 0FY, UK.
| | - Bo Hou
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK.
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2
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Kay AM, Riley DB, Meredith P, Armin A, Sandberg OJ. A New Framework for Understanding Recombination-Limited Charge Extraction in Disordered Semiconductors. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:4416-4421. [PMID: 38626394 PMCID: PMC11057038 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Recombination of free charges is a key loss mechanism limiting the performance of organic semiconductor-based photovoltaics such as solar cells and photodetectors. The carrier density-dependence of the rate of recombination and the associated rate coefficients are often estimated using transient charge extraction (CE) experiments. These experiments, however, often neglect the effect of recombination during the transient extraction process. In this work, the validity of the CE experiment for low-mobility devices, such as organic semiconductor-based photovoltaics, is investigated using transient drift-diffusion simulations. We find that recombination leads to incomplete CE, resulting in carrier density-dependent recombination rate constants and overestimated recombination orders; an effect that depends on both the charge carrier mobilities and the resistance-capacitance time constant. To overcome this intrinsic limitation of the CE experiment, we present an analytical model that accounts for charge carrier recombination, validate it using numerical simulations, and employ it to correct the carrier density-dependence observed in experimentally determined bimolecular recombination rate constants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin M. Kay
- Sustainable
Advanced Materials (Sêr-SAM), Centre for Integrative Semiconductor
Materials (CISM), Department of Physics, Swansea University Bay Campus, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - Drew B. Riley
- Sustainable
Advanced Materials (Sêr-SAM), Centre for Integrative Semiconductor
Materials (CISM), Department of Physics, Swansea University Bay Campus, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Meredith
- Sustainable
Advanced Materials (Sêr-SAM), Centre for Integrative Semiconductor
Materials (CISM), Department of Physics, Swansea University Bay Campus, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - Ardalan Armin
- Sustainable
Advanced Materials (Sêr-SAM), Centre for Integrative Semiconductor
Materials (CISM), Department of Physics, Swansea University Bay Campus, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - Oskar J. Sandberg
- Physics,
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo
Akademi University, 20500 Turku, Finland
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3
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Feng W, Chen T, Li Y, Duan T, Jiang X, Zhong C, Zhang Y, Yu J, Lu G, Wan X, Kan B, Chen Y. Binary All-polymer Solar Cells with a Perhalogenated-Thiophene-Based Solid Additive Surpass 18 % Efficiency. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202316698. [PMID: 38169129 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202316698] [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: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Morphological control of all-polymer blends is quintessential yet challenging in fabricating high-performance organic solar cells. Recently, solid additives (SAs) have been approved to be capable in tuning the morphology of polymer: small-molecule blends improving the performance and stability of devices. Herein, three perhalogenated thiophenes, which are 3,4-dibromo-2,5-diiodothiophene (SA-T1), 2,5-dibromo-3,4-diiodothiophene (SA-T2), and 2,3-dibromo-4,5-diiodothiophene (SA-T3), were adopted as SAs to optimize the performance of all-polymer organic solar cells (APSCs). For the blend of PM6 and PY-IT, benefitting from the intermolecular interactions between perhalogenated thiophenes and polymers, the molecular packing properties could be finely regulated after introducing these SAs. In situ UV/Vis measurement revealed that these SAs could assist morphological character evolution in the all-polymer blend, leading to their optimal morphologies. Compared to the as-cast device of PM6 : PY-IT, all SA-treated binary devices displayed enhanced power conversion efficiencies of 17.4-18.3 % with obviously elevated short-circuit current densities and fill factors. To our knowledge, the PCE of 18.3 % for SA-T1-treated binary ranks the highest among all binary APSCs to date. Meanwhile, the universality of SA-T1 in other all-polymer blends is demonstrated with unanimously improved device performance. This work provide a new pathway in realizing high-performance APSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanying Feng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai University, 300350, Tianjin, China
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, The Centre of Nanoscale Science and Technology and Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center (RECAST), College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071, Tianjin, China
| | - Tianqi Chen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai University, 300350, Tianjin, China
| | - Yulu Li
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing), Chinese Academy of Sciences, 400714, Chongqing, China
| | - Tainan Duan
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing), Chinese Academy of Sciences, 400714, Chongqing, China
| | - Xue Jiang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing), Chinese Academy of Sciences, 400714, Chongqing, China
| | - Cheng Zhong
- Hubei Key Laboratory on Organic and Polymeric Opto-electronic Materials, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, 430072, Wuhan, China
| | - Yunxin Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai University, 300350, Tianjin, China
| | - Jifa Yu
- Institute of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710054, Xi'an, China
| | - Guanghao Lu
- Institute of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710054, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiangjian Wan
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, The Centre of Nanoscale Science and Technology and Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center (RECAST), College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071, Tianjin, China
| | - Bin Kan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai University, 300350, Tianjin, China
| | - Yongsheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, The Centre of Nanoscale Science and Technology and Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center (RECAST), College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071, Tianjin, China
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4
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Karim ME, Mohsin ASM. Metasurface absorber based single junction thin film solar cell exceeding 30% efficiency. OPTICS EXPRESS 2024; 32:8214-8229. [PMID: 38439484 DOI: 10.1364/oe.510421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
In this article, we report, as per our knowledge, for the first time, a thin film single junction solar cell with a metasurface absorber layer directly incorporated. We have used an interconnected dual inverted split ring resonator pattern in the InAsP absorber layer. The structure eliminated patterns of conventional metals, such as silver, aluminum, and gold, from the active layer, a common drawback in conventional solar absorbers, hindering their direct integration into solar cells. Optical simulation results show a peak ideal short circuit current density of 76.23mA/cm2 for the meta-absorber structure under solar illumination. This current is the highest among previously reported absorbers based on Group IV materials and III-V compounds, overcoming the low solar absorption of such metasurfaces. The final proposed solar cell structure combines this meta-absorber layer with traditional efficiency enhancement methods namely anti-reflecting coating, textured back reflector, and transparent top electrode. This novel single junction structure shows a solar absorption efficiency of 97.86% and a power conversion efficiency of 30.87%, the highest for III-V solar cells. Our device proves the ability of metasurface absorber layers to produce high-efficiency solar cells and is expected to pave the way for integrating novel meta-devices into state-of-the-art photovoltaic devices, aiding the global transition towards clean energy sources.
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5
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Xiao Y, Yao H, Chen Z, Yang N, Song CE, Wang J, Li Z, Yu Y, Ryu DH, Shin WS, Hao X, Hou J. Morphology Control for Efficient Nonfused Acceptor-Based Organic Photovoltaic Cells. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2305631. [PMID: 37752745 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202305631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Non-fused electron acceptors have huge advantages in fabricating low-cost organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. However, morphology control is a challenge as non-fused C─C single bonds bring more molecular conformations. Here, by selecting two typical polymer donors, PBDB-TF and PBQx-TF, the blend morphologies and its impacts on the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of non-fused acceptor-based OPV cells are studied. A selenium-containing non-fused acceptor named ASe-5 is designed. The results suggest that PBQx-TF has a lower miscibility with ASe-5 when compared with PBDB-TF. Additionally, the polymer networks may form earlier in the PBQx-TF:ASe-5 blend film due to stronger preaggregation performance, leading to a more obvious phase separation. The PBQx-TF:ASe-5 blend film shows faster charge transfer and suppressed charge recombination. As a result, the PBQx-TF:ASe-5-based device records a good PCE of 14.7% with a higher fill factor (FF) of 0.744, while the PBDB-TF:ASe-5-based device only obtains a moderate PCE of 12.3% with a relatively low FF of 0.662. The work demonstrates that the selection of donors plays a crucial role in controlling the blend morphology and thus improving the PCEs of non-fused acceptor-based OPV cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Huifeng Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Zhihao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Ni Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chang Eun Song
- Advanced Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), 141 Gajeongro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, South Korea
| | - Jingwen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Yue Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Du Hyeon Ryu
- Advanced Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), 141 Gajeongro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, South Korea
| | - Won Suk Shin
- Advanced Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), 141 Gajeongro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, South Korea
| | - Xiaotao Hao
- School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Jianhui Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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6
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Wang A, Huang J, Cong J, Yuan X, He M, Li J, Yan C, Cui X, Song N, Zhou S, Green MA, Sun K, Hao X. Cd-Free Pure Sulfide Kesterite Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 Solar Cell with Over 800 mV Open-Circuit Voltage Enabled by Phase Evolution Intervention. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2307733. [PMID: 37850716 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202307733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
The Cd-free Cu2 ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cell is an ideal candidate for producing low-cost clean energy through green materials owing to its inherent environmental friendliness and earth abundance. Nevertheless, sulfide CZTS has long suffered from severe open-circuit voltage (VOC ) deficits, limiting the full exploitation of performance potential and further progress. Here, an effective strategy is proposed to alleviate the nonradiative VOC loss by manipulating the phase evolution during the critical kesterite phase formation stage. With a Ge cap layer on the precursor, premature CZTS grain formation is suppressed at low temperatures, leading to fewer nucleation centers at the initial crystallization stage. Consequently, the CZTS grain formation and crystallization are deferred to high temperatures, resulting in enhanced grain interior quality and less unfavorable grain boundaries in the final film. As a result, a champion efficiency of 10.7% for Cd-free CZTS solar cells with remarkably high VOC beyond 800 mV (63.2% Schockley-Queisser limit) is realized, indicating that nonradiative recombination is effectively inhibited. This strategy may advance other compound semiconductors seeking high-quality crystallization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ao Wang
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jialiang Huang
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jialin Cong
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Xiaojie Yuan
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Mingrui He
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jianjun Li
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Chang Yan
- Sustainable Energy and Environment Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 511400, China
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, SAR, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Xin Cui
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Ning Song
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Shujie Zhou
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Martin A Green
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Kaiwen Sun
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Xiaojing Hao
- Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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7
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Du Z, Luong HM, Sabury S, Therdkatanyuphong P, Chae S, Welton C, Jones AL, Zhang J, Peng Z, Zhu Z, Nanayakkara S, Coropceanu V, Choi DG, Xiao S, Yi A, Kim HJ, Bredas JL, Ade H, Reddy GNM, Marder SR, Reynolds JR, Nguyen TQ. Additive-free molecular acceptor organic solar cells processed from a biorenewable solvent approaching 15% efficiency. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:5564-5576. [PMID: 37872787 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh01133j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
We report on the use of molecular acceptors (MAs) and donor polymers processed with a biomass-derived solvent (2-methyltetrahydrofuran, 2-MeTHF) to facilitate bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaics (OPVs) with power conversion efficiency (PCE) approaching 15%. Our approach makes use of two newly designed donor polymers with an opened ring unit in their structures along with three molecular acceptors (MAs) where the backbone and sidechain were engineered to enhance the processability of BHJ OPVs using 2-MeTHF, as evaluated by an analysis of donor-acceptor (D-A) miscibility and interaction parameters. To understand the differences in the PCE values that ranged from 9-15% as a function of composition, the surface, bulk, and interfacial BHJ morphologies were characterized at different length scales using atomic force microscopy, grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering, resonant soft X-ray scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and 2D solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our results indicate that the favorable D-A intermixing that occurs in the best performing BHJ film with an average domain size of ∼25 nm, high domain purity, uniform distribution and enhanced local packing interactions - facilitates charge generation and extraction while limiting the trap-assisted recombination process in the device, leading to high effective mobility and good performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifang Du
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Hoang Mai Luong
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Sina Sabury
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Tech Polymer Network, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
| | | | - Sangmin Chae
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Claire Welton
- University of Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille Institut, Univ. Artois, UMR 8181, Unité de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide, F-59000, Lille, France.
| | - Austin L Jones
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Tech Polymer Network, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
| | - Junxiang Zhang
- University of Colorado Boulder, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
| | - Zhengxing Peng
- Department of Physics and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Ziyue Zhu
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Sadisha Nanayakkara
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0088, USA
| | - Veaceslav Coropceanu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0088, USA
| | - Dylan G Choi
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Steven Xiao
- 1-Material Inc, 2290 Chemin St-Francois, Dorval, Quebec, H9P 1K2, Canada
| | - Ahra Yi
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
- Department of Organic Material Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo Jung Kim
- Department of Organic Material Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Jean-Luc Bredas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0088, USA
| | - Harald Ade
- Department of Physics and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - G N Manjunatha Reddy
- University of Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille Institut, Univ. Artois, UMR 8181, Unité de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide, F-59000, Lille, France.
| | - Seth R Marder
- University of Colorado Boulder, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
| | - John R Reynolds
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Tech Polymer Network, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
| | - Thuc-Quyen Nguyen
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
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8
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Sun JX, Yang HC, Li Y, Cui HJ. An analytical model for organic bulk heterojunction solar cells based on Saha equation for exciton dissociation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:27475-27487. [PMID: 37800275 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03366j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
The power conversion efficiencies of organic solar cells (OSCs) have been greatly improved in recent years. However, latest experimental data of high efficiency OSCs, the sublinear relationship between the short circuit current density (Jsc) and light intensity (Pin), and the effects of energetic disorder in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells have not been understood. An analytical model for high-efficiency OSCs is proposed, which takes most physical factors into account that have been ignored in most previous models, including practical solar spectra and absorption spectra, degeneracy effect, exciton effect, space charge limited current, and unified mobility expression dependent on temperature, electric field and density, etc. Three analytical iterative methods are proposed to solve the strong non-linear Poisson equation and the drift-diffusion equations. The method for the drift-diffusion equations involves introducing two constant coefficients and determining their values self-consistently by demanding the space averages of approximate drift and diffusion currents equal to the averages of accurate ones. The theoretical results for five high-efficiency OSCs are in good agreement with experimental data, including current-voltage curves, light intensity-dependent Jsc and open-circuit voltage (Voc) curves. The effects of energetic disorder in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells, and the sublinear relationship Jsc ∝ Pαin (α < 1) can be well explained. The Saha equation for exciton dissociation and the space-charge-limited-current (SCLC) effect are important for modelling high-efficiency OSCs. The Voc ∼ Pin relationship can be influenced by many factors. But, the Jsc ∼ Pin relationship can be mainly and slightly influenced by the exciton effect and energetic disorder, respectively. When aiming to realize higher performance OSCs, one should decrease six material parameters, including the energetic disorder, exciton mass, deep level impurity concentration, the ratios of electron and hole mobilities, densities of states for electrons and holes, and potential barriers at the anode and cathode. The performance parameters of 15 triad compounds are predicted by using ab initio Eg and absorption spectra from the literature along with other input parameters taken from previous optimized values, and the efficiency of two compounds was found to exceed 35%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiu-Xun Sun
- School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.
| | - Hong-Chun Yang
- School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.
| | - Yang Li
- School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.
| | - Hai-Juan Cui
- School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.
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9
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Cui Y, Zhao C, Souza JPA, Benatto L, Koehler M, Ma W, Yan H. Eliminating the Imbalanced Mobility Bottlenecks via Reshaping Internal Potential Distribution in Organic Photovoltaics. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2302880. [PMID: 37635171 PMCID: PMC10582413 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202302880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
The imbalanced carrier mobility remains a bottleneck for performance breakthrough in even those organic solar cells (OSCs) with recorded power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Herein, a counter electrode doping strategy is proposed to reshape the internal potential distribution, which targets to extract the low mobility carriers at far end. Device simulations reveal that the key of this strategy is to partially dope the active layer with a certain depth, therefore it strengthens the electric field for low mobility carriers near counter electrode region while avoids zeroing the electric field near collection electrode region. Taking advantage of these, PCE enhancements are obtained from 15.4% to 16.2% and from 16.9% to 18.0%, respectively, via cathode p-doping and anode n-doping. Extending its application from opaque to semitransparent devices, the PCE of dilute cell rises from 10.5% to 12.1%, with a high light utilization efficiency (LUE) of 3.5%. The findings provide practical solutions to the core device physical problem in OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Cui
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of MaterialsSchool of Materials Science and EngineeringXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'an710049P. R. China
| | - Chao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of MaterialsSchool of Materials Science and EngineeringXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'an710049P. R. China
| | | | - Leandro Benatto
- Department of PhysicsFederal University of ParanáCuritiba81531‐980Brazil
| | - Marlus Koehler
- Department of PhysicsFederal University of ParanáCuritiba81531‐980Brazil
| | - Wei Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of MaterialsSchool of Materials Science and EngineeringXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'an710049P. R. China
| | - Han Yan
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of MaterialsSchool of Materials Science and EngineeringXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'an710049P. R. China
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10
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Li Y, Huang X, Mencke AR, Kandappa SK, Wang T, Ding K, Jiang ZQ, Amassian A, Liao LS, Thompson ME, Forrest SR. Interactions between nonfullerene acceptors lead to unstable ternary organic photovoltaic cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2301118120. [PMID: 37252984 PMCID: PMC10266035 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2301118120] [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: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
For organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices to achieve consistent performance and long operational lifetimes, organic semiconductors must be processed with precise control over their purity, composition, and structure. This is particularly important for high volume solar cell manufacturing where control of materials quality has a direct impact on yield and cost. Ternary-blend OPVs containing two acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A)-type nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) and a donor have proven to be an effective strategy to improve solar spectral coverage and reduce energy losses beyond that of binary-blend OPVs. Here, we show that the purity of such a ternary is compromised during blending to form a homogeneously mixed bulk heterojunction thin film. We find that the impurities originate from end-capping C=C/C=C exchange reactions of A-D-A-type NFAs, and that their presence influences both device reproducibility and long-term reliability. The end-capping exchange results in generation of up to four impurity constituents with strong dipolar character that interfere with the photoinduced charge transfer process, leading to reduced charge generation efficiency, morphological instabilities, and an increased vulnerability to photodegradation. As a consequence, the OPV efficiency falls to less than 65% of its initial value within 265 h when exposed to up to 10 suns intensity illumination. We propose potential molecular design strategies critical to enhancing the reproducibility as well as reliability of ternary OPVs by avoiding end-capping reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongxi Li
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Xinjing Huang
- Applied Physics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Austin R. Mencke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Sunil Kumar Kandappa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Tonghui Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronic Laboratories, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC27606
| | - Kan Ding
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Zuo-Quan Jiang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials, Soochow University, Suzhou215123, China
| | - Aram Amassian
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronic Laboratories, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC27606
| | - Liang-Sheng Liao
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials, Soochow University, Suzhou215123, China
| | - Mark E. Thompson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Stephen R. Forrest
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
- Applied Physics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
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11
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Gao Y, Yang X, Wang W, Sun R, Cui J, Fu Y, Li K, Zhang M, Liu C, Zhu H, Lu X, Min J. High-Performance Small Molecule Organic Solar Cells Enabled by a Symmetric-Asymmetric Alloy Acceptor with a Broad Composition Tolerance. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023:e2300531. [PMID: 36989324 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202300531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Using a combinatory blending strategy is demonstrated as a promising path for designing efficient organic solar cells (OSCs) by boosting the short-circuit current density and fill factor. Herein, a high-performance ternary all-small molecule OSC (all-SMOSCs) using a narrow-bandgap alloy acceptor containing symmetric and asymmetric molecules (BTP-eC9 and SSe-NIC) and a wide-bandgap small molecule donor MPhS-C2 is reported. Introducing the synthesized SSe-NIC into the MPhS-C2:BTP-eC9 host system can broaden the absorption spectrum, modulate energy offsets, and optimize the molecular packing of the host materials. After systematically optimizing the weight ratio of MPhS-C2:BTP-eC9:SSe-NIC, a champion efficiency of 18.02% is achieved. Impressively, the ternary system not only delivered a broad composition tolerance with device efficiencies over 17% throughout the whole blend ratios, but also exhibited less non-geminate recombination and energy loss, and better-light-soaking stability than the corresponding binary systems. This work promotes the development of high-performance ternary all-SMOSCs and heralds their brighter application prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Gao
- The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Xinrong Yang
- The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Wei Wang
- The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Rui Sun
- The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Jiting Cui
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Yuang Fu
- Department of Physics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Kai Li
- Skate Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures (SMART), Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, P. R. China
| | - Meimei Zhang
- The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Chao Liu
- Skate Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures (SMART), Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, P. R. China
| | - Haiming Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China
| | - Xinhui Lu
- Department of Physics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Jie Min
- The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
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12
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Wu Y, Li Y, van der Zee B, Liu W, Markina A, Fan H, Yang H, Cui C, Li Y, Blom PWM, Andrienko D, Wetzelaer GJAH. Reduced bimolecular charge recombination in efficient organic solar cells comprising non-fullerene acceptors. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4717. [PMID: 36949087 PMCID: PMC10033508 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31929-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Bimolecular charge recombination is one of the most important loss processes in organic solar cells. However, the bimolecular recombination rate in solar cells based on novel non-fullerene acceptors is mostly unclear. Moreover, the origin of the reduced-Langevin recombination rate in bulk heterojunction solar cells in general is still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the bimolecular recombination rate and charge transport in a series of high-performance organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors. From steady-state dark injection measurements and drift-diffusion simulations of the current-voltage characteristics under illumination, Langevin reduction factors of up to over two orders of magnitude are observed. The reduced recombination is essential for the high fill factors of these solar cells. The Langevin reduction factors are observed to correlate with the quadrupole moment of the acceptors, which is responsible for band bending at the donor-acceptor interface, forming a barrier for charge recombination. Overall these results therefore show that suppressed bimolecular recombination is essential for the performance of organic solar cells and provide design rules for novel materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wu
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Yungui Li
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Bas van der Zee
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Wenlan Liu
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Anastasia Markina
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hongyu Fan
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Hang Yang
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Chaohua Cui
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
| | - Yongfang Li
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Paul W M Blom
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Denis Andrienko
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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13
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Sun X, Wang M, Li H, Meng L, Lv X, Li L, Li M. Pristine GaFeO 3 Photoanodes with Surface Charge Transfer Efficiency of Almost Unity at 1.23 V for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2205907. [PMID: 36658721 PMCID: PMC10015867 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202205907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Oxide-based photoelectrodes commonly generate deep trap states associated with various intrinsic defects such as vacancies, antisites, and dislocations, limiting their photoelectrochemical properties. Herein, it is reported that rhombohedral GaFeO3 (GFO) thin-film photoanodes exhibit defect-inactive features, which manifest themselves by negligible trap-states-associated charge recombination losses during photoelectrochemical water splitting. Unlike conventional defect-tolerant semiconductors, the origin of the defect-inactivity in GFO is the strongly preferred antisite formation, suppressing the generation of other defects that act as deep traps. In addition, defect-inactive GFO films possess really appropriate oxygen vacancy concentration for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). As a result, the as-prepared GFO films achieve the surface charge transfer efficiency (ηsurface ) of 95.1% for photoelectrochemical water splitting at 1.23 V versus RHE without any further modification, which is the highest ηsurface reported of any pristine inorganic photoanodes. The onset potential toward the OER remarkably coincides with the flat band potential of 0.43 V versus RHE. This work not only demonstrates a new benchmark for the surface charge transfer yields of pristine metal oxides for solar water splitting but also enriches the arguments for defect tolerance and highlights the importance of rational tuning of oxygen vacancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, School of New EnergyNorth China Electric Power UniversityBeijing102206China
| | - Min Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, School of New EnergyNorth China Electric Power UniversityBeijing102206China
| | - Hai‐Fang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, School of New EnergyNorth China Electric Power UniversityBeijing102206China
| | - Linxing Meng
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyJiangsu Key Laboratory of Thin FilmsCenter for Energy Conversion Materials & Physics (CECMP)Soochow UniversitySuzhou215006China
| | - Xiao‐Jun Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, School of New EnergyNorth China Electric Power UniversityBeijing102206China
| | - Liang Li
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyJiangsu Key Laboratory of Thin FilmsCenter for Energy Conversion Materials & Physics (CECMP)Soochow UniversitySuzhou215006China
| | - Meicheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, School of New EnergyNorth China Electric Power UniversityBeijing102206China
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14
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Camaioni N, Carbonera C, Ciammaruchi L, Corso G, Mwaura J, Po R, Tinti F. Polymer Solar Cells with Active Layer Thickness Compatible with Scalable Fabrication Processes: A Meta-Analysis. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2210146. [PMID: 36609981 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202210146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Organic photovoltaics (OPV) has been considered for a long time a promising emerging solar technology. Currently, however, market shares of OPV are practically non-existent. A detailed meta-analysis of the literature published until mid-2021 is presented, focusing on one of the remaining issues that need to be addressed to translate the recent remarkable progress, obtained in devices' performance at lab-scale level, into the requirements able to boost the manufacturing-scale production. Namely, the active layer's thickness is referred to, which, together with device efficiency and stability, represents one of the biggest challenges of this technological research field. Papers describing solar cells containing non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) binary and ternary blends, as well as NFA plus fullerene acceptor (FA) ternary blends are reviewed. The common ground of all analyzed devices is their high-thickness active layers, compatible with large-area deposition techniques. By defining a new figure of merit to discuss the OPV thickness (thickness tolerance, TT), it is found that this parameter is not affected by the chemical family's nature of the active blend components. On the other hand, the analysis suggests that there are promising strategies to improve the TT, which are discussed in the conclusion section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Camaioni
- Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, Bologna, 40129, Italy
| | - Chiara Carbonera
- New Energies, Renewable Energies and Material Science Research Center, Eni S.p.A., Via G. Fauser 4, Novara, 28100, Italy
| | - Laura Ciammaruchi
- New Energies, Renewable Energies and Material Science Research Center, Eni S.p.A., Via G. Fauser 4, Novara, 28100, Italy
| | - Gianni Corso
- New Energies, Renewable Energies and Material Science Research Center, Eni S.p.A., Via G. Fauser 4, Novara, 28100, Italy
| | - Jeremiah Mwaura
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Riccardo Po
- New Energies, Renewable Energies and Material Science Research Center, Eni S.p.A., Via G. Fauser 4, Novara, 28100, Italy
| | - Francesca Tinti
- Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, Bologna, 40129, Italy
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15
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Polymerizing Ladder-type Heteroheptacene-Cored Small-Molecule Acceptors for Efficient All-Polymer Solar Cells. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10118-023-2909-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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16
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Korte D, Pavlica E, Klančar D, Bratina G, Pawlak M, Gondek E, Song P, Liu J, Derkowska-Zielinska B. Influence of P3HT:PCBM Ratio on Thermal and Transport Properties of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:617. [PMID: 36676353 PMCID: PMC9861154 DOI: 10.3390/ma16020617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The influence of P3HT:PCBM ratio on thermal and transport properties of solar cells were determined by photothermal beam deflection spectrometry, which is advantageous tool for non-destructively study of bulk heterojunction layers of organic solar cells. P3HT:PCBM layers of different P3HT:PCBM ratios were deposited on top of PEDOT:PSS/ITO layers which were included in organic bulk-heterojunction solar cells. The thermal diffusivity, energy gap and charge carrier lifetime were measured at different illumination conditions and with a different P3HT:PCBM ratios. As expected, it was found that the energy band gap depends on the P3HT:PCBM ratio. Thermal diffusivity is decreasing, while charge carrier lifetime is increasing with PCBM concentration. Energy band gap was found to be independent on illumination intensity, while thermal diffusivity was increasing and carrier lifetime was decreasing with illumination intensity. The carrier lifetime exhibits qualitatively similar dependence on the PCBM concentration when compared to the open-circuit voltage of operating solar cells under AM1.5 illumination. BDS and standard I-V measurement yielded comparable results arguing that the former is suitable for characterization of organic solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Korte
- Laboratory for Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 13, SI-5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Egon Pavlica
- Laboratory for Organic Matter Physics, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 13, SI-5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Domen Klančar
- Laboratory for Organic Matter Physics, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 13, SI-5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Gvido Bratina
- Laboratory for Organic Matter Physics, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 13, SI-5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Michal Pawlak
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Torun, Poland
| | - Ewa Gondek
- Institute of Physics, Cracow University of Technology, 30-084 Kraków, Poland
| | - Peng Song
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Junyan Liu
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Beata Derkowska-Zielinska
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Torun, Poland
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17
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Turedi B, Lintangpradipto MN, Sandberg OJ, Yazmaciyan A, Matt GJ, Alsalloum AY, Almasabi K, Sakhatskyi K, Yakunin S, Zheng X, Naphade R, Nematulloev S, Yeddu V, Baran D, Armin A, Saidaminov MI, Kovalenko MV, Mohammed OF, Bakr OM. Single-Crystal Perovskite Solar Cells Exhibit Close to Half A Millimeter Electron-Diffusion Length. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2202390. [PMID: 36069995 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202202390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Single-crystal halide perovskites exhibit photogenerated-carriers of high mobility and long lifetime, making them excellent candidates for applications demanding thick semiconductors, such as ionizing radiation detectors, nuclear batteries, and concentrated photovoltaics. However, charge collection depreciates with increasing thickness; therefore, tens to hundreds of volts of external bias is required to extract charges from a thick perovskite layer, leading to a considerable amount of dark current and fast degradation of perovskite absorbers. However, extending the carrier-diffusion length can mitigate many of the anticipated issues preventing the practical utilization of perovskites in the abovementioned applications. Here, single-crystal perovskite solar cells that are up to 400 times thicker than state-of-the-art perovskite polycrystalline films are fabricated, yet retain high charge-collection efficiency in the absence of an external bias. Cells with thicknesses of 110, 214, and 290 µm display power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 20.0, 18.4, and 14.7%, respectively. The remarkable persistence of high PCEs, despite the increase in thickness, is a result of a long electron-diffusion length in those cells, which was estimated, from the thickness-dependent short-circuit current, to be ≈0.45 mm under 1 sun illumination. These results pave the way for adapting perovskite devices to optoelectronic applications in which a thick active layer is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bekir Turedi
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH-8093, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, CH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Muhammad N Lintangpradipto
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Oskar J Sandberg
- Sustainable Advanced Materials (Sêr SAM), Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Aren Yazmaciyan
- KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Gebhard J Matt
- Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH-8093, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, CH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Abdullah Y Alsalloum
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Khulud Almasabi
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Kostiantyn Sakhatskyi
- Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH-8093, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, CH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Sergii Yakunin
- Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH-8093, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, CH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Xiaopeng Zheng
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Rounak Naphade
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Saidkhodzha Nematulloev
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Vishal Yeddu
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technologies (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Derya Baran
- KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ardalan Armin
- Sustainable Advanced Materials (Sêr SAM), Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Makhsud I Saidaminov
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technologies (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Maksym V Kovalenko
- Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH-8093, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, CH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Omar F Mohammed
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center (AMPM), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Osman M Bakr
- KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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18
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Ho CHY, Pei Y, Qin Y, Zhang C, Peng Z, Angunawela I, Jones AL, Yin H, Iqbal HF, Reynolds JR, Gundogdu K, Ade H, So SK, So F. Importance of Electric-Field-Independent Mobilities in Thick-Film Organic Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:47961-47970. [PMID: 36218301 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c11265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In organic solar cells (OSCs), a thick active layer usually yields a higher photocurrent with broader optical absorption than a thin active layer. In fact, a ∼300 nm thick active layer is more compatible with large-area processing methods and theoretically should be a better spot for efficiency optimization. However, the bottleneck of developing high-efficiency thick-film OSCs is the loss in fill factor (FF). The origin of the FF loss is not clearly understood, and there a direct method to identify photoactive materials for high-efficiency thick-film OSCs is lacking. Here, we demonstrate that the mobility field-dependent coefficient is an important parameter directly determining the FF loss in thick-film OSCs. Simulation results based on the drift-diffusion model reveal that a mobility field-dependent coefficient smaller than 10-3 (V/cm)-1/2 is required to maintain a good FF in thick-film devices. To confirm our simulation results, we studied the performance of two ternary bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blends, PTQ10:N3:PC71BM and PM6:N3:PC71BM. We found that the PTQ10 blend film has weaker field-dependent mobilities, giving rise to a more balanced electron-hole transport at low fields. While both the PM6 blend and PTQ10 blend yield good performance in thin-film devices (∼100 nm), only the PTQ10 blend can retain a FF = 74% with an active layer thickness of up to 300 nm. Combining the benefits of a higher JSC in thick-film devices, we achieved a PCE of 16.8% in a 300 nm thick PTQ10:N3:PC71BM OSC. Such a high FF in the thick-film PTQ10 blend is also consistent with the observation of lower charge recombination from light-intensity-dependent measurements and lower energetic disorder observed in photothermal deflection spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carr Hoi Yi Ho
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
| | - Yusen Pei
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
| | - Yunpeng Qin
- Department of Physics, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL)North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
| | - Chujun Zhang
- Department of Physics and Institute of Advanced Materials, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengxing Peng
- Department of Physics, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL)North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
| | - Indunil Angunawela
- Department of Physics, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL)North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
| | - Austin L Jones
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry School of Materials Science and Engineering Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Tech Polymer Network, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, Georgia30332, United States
| | - Hang Yin
- Department of Physics and Institute of Advanced Materials, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Hamna F Iqbal
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
| | - John R Reynolds
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry School of Materials Science and Engineering Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Tech Polymer Network, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, Georgia30332, United States
| | - Kenan Gundogdu
- Department of Physics, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL)North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
| | - Harald Ade
- Department of Physics, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL)North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
| | - Shu Kong So
- Department of Physics and Institute of Advanced Materials, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Franky So
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina27695, United States
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19
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Lu H, Chen K, Bobba RS, Shi J, Li M, Wang Y, Xue J, Xue P, Zheng X, Thorn KE, Wagner I, Lin CY, Song Y, Ma W, Tang Z, Meng Q, Qiao Q, Hodgkiss JM, Zhan X. Simultaneously Enhancing Exciton/Charge Transport in Organic Solar Cells by an Organoboron Additive. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2205926. [PMID: 36027579 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202205926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Efficient exciton diffusion and charge transport play a vital role in advancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, a facile strategy is presented to simultaneously enhance exciton/charge transport of the widely studied PM6:Y6-based OSCs by employing highly emissive trans-bis(dimesitylboron)stilbene (BBS) as a solid additive. BBS transforms the emissive sites from a more H-type aggregate into a more J-type aggregate, which benefits the resonance energy transfer for PM6 exciton diffusion and energy transfer from PM6 to Y6. Transient gated photoluminescence spectroscopy measurements indicate that addition of BBS improves the exciton diffusion coefficient of PM6 and the dissociation of PM6 excitons in the PM6:Y6:BBS film. Transient absorption spectroscopy measurements confirm faster charge generation in PM6:Y6:BBS. Moreover, BBS helps improve Y6 crystallization, and current-sensing atomic force microscopy characterization reveals an improved charge-carrier diffusion length in PM6:Y6:BBS. Owing to the enhanced exciton diffusion, exciton dissociation, charge generation, and charge transport, as well as reduced charge recombination and energy loss, a higher PCE of 17.6% with simultaneously improved open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, and fill factor is achieved for the PM6:Y6:BBS devices compared to the devices without BBS (16.2%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Lu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Kai Chen
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6010, New Zealand
- Robinson Research Institute, Faculty of Engineering, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6010, New Zealand
| | - Raja Sekhar Bobba
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Jiangjian Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory for Renewable Energy, Beijing Key Laboratory for New Energy Materials and Devices, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Mengyang Li
- Center for Advanced Low-Dimension Materials, State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Yilin Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
| | - Jingwei Xue
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
| | - Peiyao Xue
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xiaojian Zheng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Karen E Thorn
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6010, New Zealand
| | - Isabella Wagner
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6010, New Zealand
| | - Chao-Yang Lin
- Robinson Research Institute, Faculty of Engineering, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6010, New Zealand
| | - Yin Song
- School of Optics and Photonics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Wei Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
| | - Zheng Tang
- Center for Advanced Low-Dimension Materials, State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Qingbo Meng
- CAS Key Laboratory for Renewable Energy, Beijing Key Laboratory for New Energy Materials and Devices, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Quinn Qiao
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Justin M Hodgkiss
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6010, New Zealand
| | - Xiaowei Zhan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Eco-functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
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20
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Forero‐Martinez NC, Lin K, Kremer K, Andrienko D. Virtual Screening for Organic Solar Cells and Light Emitting Diodes. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2200825. [PMID: 35460204 PMCID: PMC9259727 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202200825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The field of organic semiconductors is multifaceted and the potentially suitable molecular compounds are very diverse. Representative examples include discotic liquid crystals, dye-sensitized solar cells, conjugated polymers, and graphene-based low-dimensional materials. This huge variety not only represents enormous challenges for synthesis but also for theory, which aims at a comprehensive understanding and structuring of the plethora of possible compounds. Eventually computational methods should point to new, better materials, which have not yet been synthesized. In this perspective, it is shown that the answer to this question rests upon the delicate balance between computational efficiency and accuracy of the methods used in the virtual screening. To illustrate the fundamentals of virtual screening, chemical design of non-fullerene acceptors, thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters, and nanographenes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kun‐Han Lin
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 10Mainz55128Germany
| | - Kurt Kremer
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 10Mainz55128Germany
| | - Denis Andrienko
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 10Mainz55128Germany
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21
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Planarized Polymer Acceptor Featuring High Electron Mobility for Efficient All-Polymer Solar Cells. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10118-022-2767-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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22
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Ohta K, Tominaga K, Ikoma T, Kobori Y, Yamada H. Microscopic Structures, Dynamics, and Spin Configuration of the Charge Carriers in Organic Photovoltaic Solar Cells Studied by Advanced Time-Resolved Spectroscopic Methods. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:7365-7382. [PMID: 35675205 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are promising solutions for renewable energy and sustainable technologies and have attracted much attention in recent years. Two types of organic semiconductors are used as donor materials to fabricate OPV cells. One type is a photoconductive polymer, and the other type is a small-molecule-based compound. The discovery of a bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) structure using a mixture of p- and n-type organic semiconductors has dramatically increased the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of OPV cells. In this feature article, we review our recent studies on organic BHJ thin films and OPVs by using advanced time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. Two topics regarding the microscopic behaviors of the charge carriers are discussed. The first topic is focused on how to quantify the local mobility of the charge carriers. Here, we discuss charge carrier dynamics in diketopyrrolopyrrole-linked tetrabenzoporphyrin (DPP-BP) BHJ thin films studied by time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy on a subpicosecond to several tens of picoseconds time scale and by transient photocurrent measurements on a microsecond time scale. The second topic concerns the spin configuration and interaction of the electron and hole of the polaron pairs in polymer-based BHJ thin films and OPV cells studied by the time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance method, time-resolved simultaneous optical and electrical detection, and measurement of the magnetoconductance effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Ohta
- Molecular Photoscience Research Center, Kobe University, Rokkodai-cho 1-1, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
| | - Keisuke Tominaga
- Molecular Photoscience Research Center, Kobe University, Rokkodai-cho 1-1, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
| | - Tadaaki Ikoma
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050, Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata950-2181, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kobori
- Molecular Photoscience Research Center, Kobe University, Rokkodai-cho 1-1, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
| | - Hiroko Yamada
- Division of Materials Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5, Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara630-0192, Japan
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23
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Kaienburg P, Jungbluth A, Habib I, Kesava SV, Nyman M, Riede MK. Assessing the Photovoltaic Quality of Vacuum-Thermal Evaporated Organic Semiconductor Blends. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2107584. [PMID: 34821418 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202107584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Vacuum-thermal evaporation (VTE) is a highly relevant fabrication route for organic solar cells (OSCs), especially on an industrial scale as proven by the commercialization of organic light emitting diode-based displays. While OSC performance is reported for a range of VTE-deposited molecules, a comprehensive assessment of donor:acceptor blend properties with respect to their photovoltaic performance is scarce. Here, the organic thin films and solar cells of three select systems are fabricated and ellipsometry, external quantum efficiency with high dynamic range, as well as OTRACE are measured to quantify absorption, voltage losses, and charge carrier mobility. These parameters are key to explain OSC performance and will help to rationalize the performance of other material systems reported in literature as the authors' methodology is applicable beyond VTE systems. Furthermore, it can help to judge the prospects of new molecules in general. The authors find large differences in the measured values and find that today's VTE OSCs can reach high extinction coefficients, but only moderate mobility and voltage loss compared to their solution-processed counterparts. What needs to be improved for VTE OSCs is outlined to again catch up with their solution-processed counterparts in terms of power conversion efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Kaienburg
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK
| | - Anna Jungbluth
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK
| | - Irfan Habib
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK
| | - Sameer Vajjala Kesava
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK
| | - Mathias Nyman
- Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Porthansgatan 3, Turku, 20500, Finland
| | - Moritz K Riede
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK
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24
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Su LY, Huang HH, Tsai CE, Hou CH, Shyue JJ, Lu CH, Pao CW, Yu MH, Wang L, Chueh CC. Improving Thermal and Photostability of Polymer Solar Cells by Robust Interface Engineering. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2107834. [PMID: 35532078 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202107834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
As the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) approaches 19%, increasing research attention is being paid to enhancing the device's long-term stability. In this study, a robust interface engineering of graphene oxide nanosheets (GNS) is expounded on improving the thermal and photostability of non-fullerene bulk-heterojunction (NFA BHJ) OPVs to a practical level. Three distinct GNSs (GNS, N-doped GNS (N-GNS), and N,S-doped GNS (NS-GNS)) synthesized through a pyrolysis method are applied as the ZnO modifier in inverted OPVs. The results reveal that the GNS modification introduces passivation and dipole effects to enable better energy-level alignment and to facilitate charge transfer across the ZnO/BHJ interface. Besides, it optimizes the BHJ morphology of the photoactive layer, and the N,S doping of GNS further enhances the interaction with the photoactive components to enable a more idea BHJ morphology. Consequently, the NS-GNS device delivers enhanced performance from 14.5% (control device) to 16.5%. Moreover, the thermally/chemically stable GNS is shown to stabilize the morphology of the ZnO electron transport layer (ETL) and to endow the BHJ morphology of the photoactive layer grown atop with a more stable thermodynamic property. This largely reduces the microstructure changes and the associated charge recombination in the BHJ layer under constant thermal/light stresses. Finally, the NS-GNS device is demonstrated to exhibit an impressive T80 lifetime (time at which PCE of the device decays to 80% of the initial PCE) of 2712 h under a constant thermal condition at 65 °C in a glovebox and an outstanding photostability with a T80 lifetime of 2000 h under constant AM1.5G 1-sun illumination in an N2 -controlled environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Yun Su
- Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Hsiang Huang
- Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chang-En Tsai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Hung Hou
- Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Jong Shyue
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Hao Lu
- Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Wei Pao
- Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hsuan Yu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Leeyih Wang
- Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Center of Atomic Initiative for New Materials, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chu-Chen Chueh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Advanced Research Center for Green Materials Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
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25
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Dkhili M, Lucarelli G, De Rossi F, Taheri B, Hammedi K, Ezzaouia H, Brunetti F, Brown TM. Attributes of High-Performance Electron Transport Layers for Perovskite Solar Cells on Flexible PET versus on Glass. ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS 2022; 5:4096-4107. [PMID: 35497682 PMCID: PMC9044394 DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.1c03311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Electron transport layers (ETLs) play a fundamental role in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) through charge extraction. Here, we developed flexible PSCs on 12 different kinds of ETLs based on SnO2. We show that ETLs need to be specifically developed for plastic substrates in order to attain 15% efficient flexible cells. Recipes developed for glass substrates do not typically transfer directly. Among all the ETLs, ZnO/SnO2 double layers delivered the highest average power conversion efficiency of 14.6% (best cell 14.8%), 39% higher than that of flexible cells of the same batch based on SnO2-only ETLs. However, the cells with a single ETL made of SnO2 nanoparticles were found to be more stable as well as more efficient and reproducible than SnO2 formed from a liquid precursor (SnO2-LP). We aimed at increasing the understanding of what makes a good ETL on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. More so than ensuring electron transport (as seen from on-current and series resistance analysis), delivering high shunt resistances (R SH) and lower recombination currents (I off) is key to obtain high efficiency. In fact, R SH of PSCs fabricated on glass was twice as large, and I off was 76% lower in relative terms, on average, than those on PET, indicating considerably better blocking behavior of ETLs on glass, which to a large extent explains the differences in average PCE (+29% in relative terms for glass vs PET) between these two types of devices. Importantly, we also found a clear trend for all ETLs and for different substrates between the wetting behavior of each surface and the final performance of the device, with efficiencies increasing with lower contact angles (ranging between ∼50 and 80°). Better wetting, with average contact angles being lower by 25% on glass versus PET, was conducive to delivering higher-quality layers and interfaces. This cognizance can help further optimize flexible devices and close the efficiency gap that still exists with their glass counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwa Dkhili
- CHOSE
(Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy), Department of Electronic
Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Laboratory
of Semiconductors, Nanostructures and Advanced Technology (LSNTA), Research and Technology Centre of Energy (CRTEn), BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
- Photovoltaic
Laboratory, Research and Technology Centre
of Energy (CRTEn), BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
- Faculty
of Sciences of Tunis, El Manar University, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Giulia Lucarelli
- CHOSE
(Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy), Department of Electronic
Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca De Rossi
- CHOSE
(Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy), Department of Electronic
Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Babak Taheri
- CHOSE
(Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy), Department of Electronic
Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Khadija Hammedi
- Laboratory
of Semiconductors, Nanostructures and Advanced Technology (LSNTA), Research and Technology Centre of Energy (CRTEn), BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
- Photovoltaic
Laboratory, Research and Technology Centre
of Energy (CRTEn), BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
- Faculty
of Sciences of Tunis, El Manar University, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Hatem Ezzaouia
- Laboratory
of Semiconductors, Nanostructures and Advanced Technology (LSNTA), Research and Technology Centre of Energy (CRTEn), BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
- Photovoltaic
Laboratory, Research and Technology Centre
of Energy (CRTEn), BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
| | - Francesca Brunetti
- CHOSE
(Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy), Department of Electronic
Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Thomas M. Brown
- CHOSE
(Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy), Department of Electronic
Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
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26
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Tang Y, Zheng H, Zhou X, Tang Z, Ma W, Yan H. Molecular Doping Increases the Semitransparent Photovoltaic Performance of Dilute Bulk Heterojunction Film with Discontinuous Polymer Donor Networks. SMALL METHODS 2022; 6:e2101570. [PMID: 35138038 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202101570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The semitransparent and colorful properties of organic solar cells (OSCs) attract intensive academic interests due to their potential application in building integrated photovoltaics, wearable electronics, and so forth. The most straightforward and effective method to tune these optical properties is varying the componential ratio in the blend film. However, the increase in device transmittance inevitably sacrifices the photovoltaic performance because of severe carrier recombination that originates from discontinuous charge-transport networks in the blend film. Herein, a strategy is proposed via the molecular-doping strategy to overcome these shortcomings. It is discovered that p-doping is able to release the trapped holes in segregated polymer domains leading to short-circuit current enhancement, while n-doping is more effective to fill the bandgap states producing a higher fill factor. More importantly, either type of doping improves the photovoltaic performance in the semitransparent photovoltaic devices. These discoveries provide a new pathway to breaking the compromise between the photovoltaic performance and optical transmittance in semitransparent OSCs, and hold promise for their future commercialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yabing Tang
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Hong Zheng
- Center of Nanomaterials for Renewable Energy, State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, School of Electrical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Xiaobo Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Zheng Tang
- Center for Advanced Low-Dimension Materials, State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, P. R. China
| | - Wei Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Han Yan
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
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27
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Chong K, Xu X, Meng H, Xue J, Yu L, Ma W, Peng Q. Realizing 19.05% Efficiency Polymer Solar Cells by Progressively Improving Charge Extraction and Suppressing Charge Recombination. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2109516. [PMID: 35080061 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202109516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Improving charge extraction and suppressing charge recombination are critically important to minimize the loss of absorbed photons and improve the device performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs). In this work, highly efficient PSCs are demonstrated by progressively improving the charge extraction and suppressing the charge recombination through the combination of side-chain engineering of new nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs), adopting ternary blends, and introducing volatilizable solid additives. The 2D side chains on BTP-Th induce a certain steric hindrance for molecular packing and phase separation, which is mitigated by fluorination of side chains on BTP-FTh. Moreover, by introducing two highly crystalline molecules as the second acceptor and volatilizable solid additive, respectively, into the BTP-FTh-based host blend, the molecular crystallinity is significantly improved and the blend morphology is finely optimized. As expected, enhanced charge extraction and suppressed charge recombination are progressively realized, contributing to the largely improved fill factor (FF) of the resultant devices. Accompanied by the enhanced open-circuit voltage (Voc ) and short-circuit current density (Jsc ), a record high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.05% is realized finally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaien Chong
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology of the Ministry of Education and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, P. R. China
| | - Xiaopeng Xu
- School of Chemical Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, P. R. China
| | - Huifeng Meng
- School of Chemical Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, P. R. China
| | - Jingwei Xue
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Liyang Yu
- School of Chemical Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, P. R. China
| | - Wei Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Qiang Peng
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology of the Ministry of Education and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, P. R. China
- School of Chemical Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, P. R. China
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28
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Yao J, Kong J, Shi W, Lu C. The Insolubility Problem of Organic Hole-Transport Materials Solved by Solvothermal Technology: Toward Solution-Processable Perovskite Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:7493-7503. [PMID: 35080369 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c24035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Generally, the high efficiency of solution-processable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) comes at the expense of using expensive organic matters as a hole-transport material (HTM). Although intense efforts have tried to use commercially available and low-cost macrocyclic molecules as HTM candidates, they still face two enormous challenges: poor solubility and inherent instability. Here, solvothermal treatment for old and insoluble HTMs (phthalocyanine (Pc) and its derivatives) has been proposed, which is unusual due to the occurrence of solubilization for insoluble precursors induced by the carbonization of the dissolved part. Since the macrocyclic structure still exists, the as-prepared new-type carbon dots not only retain the capacity of hole transfer but serve as an effective passivation additive. Synergy makes the all-air-processed carbon-based PSCs (CH3NH3PbI3) fabricated with carbon dots achieve a decent power conversion efficiency of 13.7%. Importantly, organics have undergone solvothermal treatment, completely breaking through the instability bottleneck, which exists in the long-term operation of PSCs. The universality of this methodology will usher exploration into other low-cost insoluble organics and drastically enhance the high-performance cost ratio of PSC equipment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Jian Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Wenying Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Chao Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
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Alqahtani O, Hosseini SM, Ferron T, Murcia V, McAfee T, Vixie K, Huang F, Armin A, Shoaee S, Collins BA. Evidence That Sharp Interfaces Suppress Recombination in Thick Organic Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:56394-56403. [PMID: 34787408 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c15570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Commercialization and scale-up of organic solar cells (OSCs) using industrial solution printing require maintaining maximum performance at active-layer thicknesses >400 nm─a characteristic still not generally achieved in non-fullerene acceptor OSCs. NT812/PC71BM is a rare system, whose performance increases up to these thicknesses due to highly suppressed charge recombination relative to the classic Langevin model. The suppression in this system, however, uniquely depends on device processing, pointing toward the role of nanomorphology. We investigate the morphological origins of this suppressed recombination by combining results from a suite of X-ray techniques. We are surprised to find that while all investigated devices are composed of pure, similarly aggregated nanodomains, Langevin reduction factors can still be tuned from ∼2 to >1000. This indicates that pure aggregated phases are insufficient for non-Langevin (reduced) recombination. Instead, we find that large well-ordered conduits and, in particular, sharp interfaces between domains appear to help to keep opposite charges separated and percolation pathways clear for enhanced charge collection in thick active layers. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative study to isolate the donor/acceptor interfacial width correlated with non-Langevin charge recombination. This new structure-property relationship will be key to successful commercialization of printed OSCs at scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Obaid Alqahtani
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Department of Physics, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj 11942, KSA
| | - Seyed Mehrdad Hosseini
- Optoelectronics of Organic Semiconductors Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - Thomas Ferron
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Victor Murcia
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Terry McAfee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Kevin Vixie
- Department of Mathematics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Fei Huang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, P. R. China
| | - Ardalan Armin
- Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales SA2 8PP, U.K
| | - Safa Shoaee
- Optoelectronics of Organic Semiconductors Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - Brian A Collins
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
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30
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Singh R, Madirov E, Busko D, Hossain IM, Konyushkin VA, Nakladov AN, Kuznetsov SV, Farooq A, Gharibzadeh S, Paetzold UW, Richards BS, Turshatov A. Harvesting Sub-bandgap Photons via Upconversion for Perovskite Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:54874-54883. [PMID: 34723477 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Lanthanide-based upconversion (UC) allows harvesting sub-bandgap near-infrared photons in photovoltaics. In this work, we investigate UC in perovskite solar cells by implementing UC single crystal BaF2:Yb3+, Er3+ at the rear of the solar cell. Upon illumination with high-intensity sub-bandgap photons at 980 nm, the BaF2:Yb3+, Er3+ crystal emits upconverted photons in the spectral range between 520 and 700 nm. When tested under terrestrial sunlight representing one sun above the perovskite's bandgap and sub-bandgap illumination at 980 nm, upconverted photons contribute a 0.38 mA/cm2 enhancement in the short-circuit current density at lower intensity. The current enhancement scales non-linearly with the incident intensity of sub-bandgap illumination, and at higher intensity, 2.09 mA/cm2 enhancement in current was observed. Hence, our study shows that using a fluoride single crystal like BaF2:Yb3+, Er3+ for UC is a suitable method to extend the response of perovskite solar cells to near-infrared illumination at 980 nm with a subsequent enhancement in current for very high incident intensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roja Singh
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
- Light Technology Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
| | - Eduard Madirov
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
- Kazan Federal University, Kremlyovskaya Str, 18, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | - Dmitry Busko
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
| | - Ihteaz M Hossain
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
- Light Technology Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
| | - Vasilii A Konyushkin
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Str, 38, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Andrey N Nakladov
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Str, 38, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Sergey V Kuznetsov
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Str, 38, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Amjad Farooq
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
- Light Technology Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
- Institute for Materials Science and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätstrasse 15, Essen 45141, Germany
| | - Saba Gharibzadeh
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
- Light Technology Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
| | - Ulrich W Paetzold
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
- Light Technology Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
| | - Bryce S Richards
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
- Light Technology Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
| | - Andrey Turshatov
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
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31
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Scaccabarozzi AD, Basu A, Aniés F, Liu J, Zapata-Arteaga O, Warren R, Firdaus Y, Nugraha MI, Lin Y, Campoy-Quiles M, Koch N, Müller C, Tsetseris L, Heeney M, Anthopoulos TD. Doping Approaches for Organic Semiconductors. Chem Rev 2021; 122:4420-4492. [PMID: 34793134 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Electronic doping in organic materials has remained an elusive concept for several decades. It drew considerable attention in the early days in the quest for organic materials with high electrical conductivity, paving the way for the pioneering work on pristine organic semiconductors (OSCs) and their eventual use in a plethora of applications. Despite this early trend, however, recent strides in the field of organic electronics have been made hand in hand with the development and use of dopants to the point that are now ubiquitous. Here, we give an overview of all important advances in the area of doping of organic semiconductors and their applications. We first review the relevant literature with particular focus on the physical processes involved, discussing established mechanisms but also newly proposed theories. We then continue with a comprehensive summary of the most widely studied dopants to date, placing particular emphasis on the chemical strategies toward the synthesis of molecules with improved functionality. The processing routes toward doped organic films and the important doping-processing-nanostructure relationships, are also discussed. We conclude the review by highlighting how doping can enhance the operating characteristics of various organic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto D Scaccabarozzi
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aniruddha Basu
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Filip Aniés
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, U.K
| | - Jian Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 412 96, Sweden
| | - Osnat Zapata-Arteaga
- Materials Science Institute of Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Ross Warren
- Institut für Physik & IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Yuliar Firdaus
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia.,Research Center for Electronics and Telecommunication, Indonesian Institute of Science, Jalan Sangkuriang Komplek LIPI Building 20 level 4, Bandung 40135, Indonesia
| | - Mohamad Insan Nugraha
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yuanbao Lin
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mariano Campoy-Quiles
- Materials Science Institute of Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Norbert Koch
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Kekulé-Strasse 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany.,Institut für Physik & IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Müller
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg 412 96, Sweden
| | - Leonidas Tsetseris
- Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Athens GR-15780, Greece
| | - Martin Heeney
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, U.K
| | - Thomas D Anthopoulos
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
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32
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Kim M, Ryu SU, Park SA, Pu YJ, Park T. Designs and understanding of small molecule-based non-fullerene acceptors for realizing commercially viable organic photovoltaics. Chem Sci 2021; 12:14004-14023. [PMID: 34760184 PMCID: PMC8565376 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc03908c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have emerged as a promising next-generation technology with great potential for portable, wearable, and transparent photovoltaic applications. Over the past few decades, remarkable advances have been made in non-fullerene acceptor (NFA)-based OPVs, with their power conversion efficiency exceeding 18%, which is close to the requirements for commercial realization. Novel molecular NFA designs have emerged and evolved in the progress of understanding the physical features of NFA-based OPVs in relation to their high performance, while there is room for further improvement. In this review, the molecular design of representative NFAs is described, and their blend characteristics are assessed via statistical comparisons. Meanwhile, the current understanding of photocurrent generation is reviewed along with the significant physical features observed in high-performance NFA-based OPVs, while the challenging issues and the strategic perspectives for the commercialization of OPV technology are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjun Kim
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako Saitama 351-0198 Japan
| | - Seung Un Ryu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu Pohang Gyeongsangbuk-do 37673 Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Ah Park
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu Pohang Gyeongsangbuk-do 37673 Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Jin Pu
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako Saitama 351-0198 Japan
| | - Taiho Park
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu Pohang Gyeongsangbuk-do 37673 Republic of Korea
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33
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Upreti T, Wilken S, Zhang H, Kemerink M. Slow Relaxation of Photogenerated Charge Carriers Boosts Open-Circuit Voltage of Organic Solar Cells. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:9874-9881. [PMID: 34609870 PMCID: PMC8521526 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Among the parameters determining the efficiency of an organic solar cell, the open-circuit voltage (VOC) is the one with most room for improvement. Existing models for the description of VOC assume that photogenerated charge carriers are thermalized. Here, we demonstrate that quasi-equilibrium concepts cannot fully describe VOC of disordered organic devices. For two representative donor:acceptor blends, it is shown that VOC is actually 0.1-0.2 V higher than it would be if the system was in thermodynamic equilibrium. Extensive numerical modeling reveals that the excess energy is mainly due to incomplete relaxation in the disorder-broadened density of states. These findings indicate that organic solar cells work as nonequilibrium devices, in which part of the photon excess energy is harvested in the form of an enhanced VOC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanvi Upreti
- Complex
Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology
(IFM), Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Centre
for Advanced Materials, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 225, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Wilken
- Complex
Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology
(IFM), Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Physics,
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo
Akademi University, Porthansgatan 3, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Huotian Zhang
- Biomolecular
and Organic Electronics, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology
(IFM), Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Martijn Kemerink
- Complex
Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology
(IFM), Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Centre
for Advanced Materials, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 225, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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34
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You H, Lee S, Kim D, Kang H, Lim C, Kim FS, Kim BJ. Effects of the Selective Alkoxy Side Chain Position in Quinoxaline-Based Polymer Acceptors on the Performance of All-Polymer Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:47817-47825. [PMID: 34590813 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c12288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The effects of the position of alkoxy side chains in quinoxaline (Qx)-based polymer acceptors (PAs) on the characteristics of materials and the device parameters of all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) are investigated. The alkoxy side chains are selectively located at the meta, para, and both positions in pendant benzenes of Qx units, constructing PAs denoted as P(QxCN-T2)-m, P(QxCN-T2)-p, and P(QxCN-T2), respectively. Among them, P(QxCN-T2)-m exhibits the deepest energy levels owing to the enhanced electron-withdrawing effect of meta-positioned alkoxy chains, which is in contrast to P(QxCN-T2)-p where para-positioned alkoxy chains have an electron-donating property. In addition, the meta-positioned alkoxy chains induce good electron-conducting pathways, while the para-positioned ones significantly interrupt crystallization and intermolecular interactions between the conjugated backbones. Thus, when the PAs are applied to all-PSCs, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.07% is attained in the device using P(QxCN-T2)-m with efficient exciton dissociation and good electron-transporting ability. On the contrary, the P(QxCN-T2)-p-based counterpart has a PCE of only 1.62%. These results demonstrate that introducing alkoxy side chains at a proper location in the Qx-based PAs is crucial for their application to all-PSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoseon You
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungjin Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Donguk Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunbum Kang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Chulhee Lim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Felix Sunjoo Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Bumjoon J Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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35
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Wang J, Zheng Z, Zu Y, Wang Y, Liu X, Zhang S, Zhang M, Hou J. A Tandem Organic Photovoltaic Cell with 19.6% Efficiency Enabled by Light Distribution Control. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2102787. [PMID: 34365690 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202102787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite more potential in realizing higher photovoltaic performance, the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of tandem organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells still lags behind that of state-of-the-art single-junction cells. In this work, highly efficient double-junction tandem OPV cells are fabricated by optimizing the photoactive layers with low voltage losses and developing an effective method to tune optical field distribution. The tandem OPV cells studied are structured as indium tin oxide (ITO)/ZnO/bottom photoactive layer/interconnecting layer (ICL)/top photoactive layer/MoOx /Ag, where the bottom and top photoactive layers are based on blends of PBDB-TF:ITCC and PBDB-TF:BTP-eC11, respectively, and ICL refers to interconnecting layer structured as MoOx /Ag/ZnO:PFN-Br. As these results indicate that there is not much room for optimizing the bottom photoactive layer, more effort is put into fine-tuning the top photoactive layer. By rationally modulating the composition and thickness of PBDB-TF:BTP-eC11 blend films, the 300 nm-thick PBDB-TF:BTP-eC11 film with 1:2 D/A ratio is found to be an ideal photoactive layer for the top sub-cell in terms of photovoltaic characteristics and light distribution control. For the optimized tandem cell, a PCE of 19.64% is realized, which is the highest result in the OPV field and certified as 19.50% by the National Institute of Metrology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianqiu Wang
- 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
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Zhong Zheng
- 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
| | - Yunfei Zu
- 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
| | - Yafei Wang
- 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
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- 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
- School of Chemistry and Biology Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Shaoqing Zhang
- 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
- School of Chemistry and Biology Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Maojie Zhang
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, 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
- School of Chemistry and Biology Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
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36
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Zidan MN, Everitt N, Ismail T, Fahim IS. Organic Solar Cells Parameters Extraction and Characterization Techniques. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13193224. [PMID: 34641041 PMCID: PMC8512755 DOI: 10.3390/polym13193224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic photovoltaic research is continuing in order to improve the efficiency and stability of the products. Organic devices have recently demonstrated excellent efficiency, bringing them closer to the market. Understanding the relationship between the microscopic parameters of the device and the conditions under which it is prepared and operated is essential for improving performance at the device level. This review paper emphasizes the importance of the parameter extraction stage for organic solar cell investigations by offering various device models and extraction methodologies. In order to link qualitative experimental measurements to quantitative microscopic device parameters with a minimum number of experimental setups, parameter extraction is a valuable step. The number of experimental setups directly impacts the pace and cost of development. Several experimental and material processing procedures, including the use of additives, annealing, and polymer chain engineering, are discussed in terms of their impact on the parameters of organic solar cells. Various analytical, numerical, hybrid, and optimization methods were introduced for parameter extraction based on single, multiple diodes and drift-diffusion models. Their validity for organic devices was tested by extracting the parameters of some available devices from the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud N. Zidan
- Smart Engineering Systems Research Center (SESC), Industrial Engineering Department, Nile University, Giza 12677, Egypt;
| | - Nicola Everitt
- Department of Mechanical, Faculty of Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG72RD, UK;
| | - Tawfik Ismail
- National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt;
- Wireless Intelligent Networks Center (WINC), Nile University, Giza 12677, Egypt
| | - Irene S. Fahim
- Smart Engineering Systems Research Center (SESC), Industrial Engineering Department, Nile University, Giza 12677, Egypt;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +20-1-001-822-221
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37
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You H, Kang H, Kim D, Park JS, Lee JW, Lee S, Kim FS, Kim BJ. Cyano-Functionalized Quinoxaline-Based Polymer Acceptors for All-Polymer Solar Cells and Organic Transistors. CHEMSUSCHEM 2021; 14:3520-3527. [PMID: 33655716 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202100080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Quinoxaline (Qx) derivatives are promising building units for efficient photovoltaic polymers owing to their strong light absorption and high charge-transport abilities, but they have been used exclusively in the construction of polymer donors. Herein, for the first time, Qx-based polymer acceptors (PA s) were developed by introducing electron-withdrawing cyano (CN) groups into the Qx moiety (QxCN). A series of QxCN-based PA s, P(QxCN-T2), P(QxCN-TVT), and P(QxCN-T3), were synthesized by copolymerizing the QxCN unit with bithiophene, (E)-1,2-di(thiophene-2-yl)ethene, and terthiophene, respectively. All of the PA s exhibited unipolar n-type characteristics with organic field-effect transistor (OFET) mobilities of around 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1 . In space-charge-limited current devices, P(QxCN-T2) and P(QxCN-TVT) exhibited electron mobilities greater than 1.0×10-4 cm2 V-1 s-1 , due to the well-ordered structure with tight π-π stacking. When the PA s were applied in all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), the highest performance of 5.32 % was achieved in the P(QxCN-T2)-based device. These results demonstrate the significant potential of Qx-based PA s for high-performance all-PSCs and OFETs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoseon You
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunbum Kang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Donguk Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Su Park
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Woo Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungjin Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Felix Sunjoo Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul, 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Bumjoon J Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
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38
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Oh CM, Lee J, Park SH, Hwang IW. Enhanced Charge Separation in Ternary Bulk-Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells by Fullerenes. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:6418-6424. [PMID: 34236208 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c01496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Carrier generation dynamics in binary PTB7-Th:COi8DFIC (1:1.5) and ternary PTB7-Th:COi8DFIC:PC71BM (1:1.05:0.45) composites were investigated to identify the origins of high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in ternary bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells. Steady-state photoluminescence and time-resolved photoinduced absorption spectroscopic analyses revealed that the ternary composite exhibited faster hole transfer from COi8DFIC to PTB7-Th (8 ps compared to 21 ps in the binary composite), which led to an improved exciton separation yield in COi8DFIC (94% compared to 68% in the binary composite). Improved intermixing of the component materials and efficient electron transfer from COi8DFIC to PC71BM facilitated enhancement in the hole transfer rate. The COi8DFIC-to-PC71BM electron transfer promoted an electron transport cascade over PTB7-Th, COi8DFIC, and PC71BM, which efficiently deactivated back-electron transfer (carrier recombination loss) from COi8DFIC to PTB7-Th at ∼160 ps and assisted in improving the PCE of the ternary BHJ cell (13.4% compared to 10.5% in the binary BHJ cell).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Mok Oh
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihoon Lee
- Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Heum Park
- Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea
| | - In-Wook Hwang
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
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Xu Y, Cui Y, Yao H, Zhang T, Zhang J, Ma L, Wang J, Wei Z, Hou J. A New Conjugated Polymer that Enables the Integration of Photovoltaic and Light-Emitting Functions in One Device. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2101090. [PMID: 33899285 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202101090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Exploring the intriguing bifunctional nature of organic semiconductors and investigating the feasibility of fabricating bifunctional devices are of great significance in realizing various applications with one device. Here, the design of a new wide-bandgap polymer named PBQx-TCl (optical bandgap of 2.05 eV) is reported, and its applications in photovoltaic and light-emitting devices are studied. By fabricating devices with nonfullerene acceptors BTA3 and BTP-eC9, it is shown that the devices exhibit a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.0% under air mass 1.5G illumination conditions and an outstanding PCE of 28.5% for a 1 cm2 device and 26.0% for a 10 cm2 device under illumination from a 1000 lux light-emitting diode. In addition, the PBQx-TCl:BTA3-based device also demonstrates a moderate organic light-emitting diode performance with an electroluminescence external quantum efficiency approaching 0.2% and a broad emission range of 630-1000 nm. These results suggest that the polymer PBQx-TCl-based devices exhibit outstanding photovoltaic performance and potential light-emitting functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Xu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in 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
| | - Yong Cui
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Huifeng Yao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Tao Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in 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
| | - Jianqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Lijiao Ma
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in 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
| | - Jingwen Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in 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
| | - Zhixiang Wei
- Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Jianhui Hou
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in 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
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40
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Yao N, Wang J, Chen Z, Bian Q, Xia Y, Zhang R, Zhang J, Qin L, Zhu H, Zhang Y, Zhang F. Efficient Charge Transport Enables High Efficiency in Dilute Donor Organic Solar Cells. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:5039-5044. [PMID: 34018757 PMCID: PMC8280696 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c01219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The donor/acceptor weight ratio is crucial for photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, we systematically investigate the photovoltaic behaviors of PM6:Y6 solar cells with different stoichiometries. It is found that the photovoltaic performance is tolerant to PM6 contents ranging from 10 to 60 wt %. Especially an impressive efficiency over 10% has been achieved in dilute donor solar cells with 10 wt % PM6 enabled by efficient charge generation, electron/hole transport, slow charge recombination, and field-insensitive extraction. This raises the question about the origin of efficient hole transport in such dilute donor structure. By investigating hole mobilities of PM6 diluted in Y6 and insulators, we find that effective hole transport pathway is mainly through PM6 phase in PM6:Y6 blends despite with low PM6 content. The results indicate that a low fraction of polymer donors combines with near-infrared nonfullerene acceptors could achieve high photovoltaic performance, which might be a candidate for semitransparent windows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nannan Yao
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping 58183, Sweden
| | - Jianqiu Wang
- School
of Chemistry, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, P. R. China
| | - Zeng Chen
- State
Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Center for Chemistry
of High-Performance & Novel Materials, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, P. R. China
| | - Qingzhen Bian
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping 58183, Sweden
| | - Yuxin Xia
- Institute
for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), Hasselt
University, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping 58183, Sweden
| | - Jianqi Zhang
- National
Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Leiqiang Qin
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping 58183, Sweden
| | - Haiming Zhu
- State
Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Center for Chemistry
of High-Performance & Novel Materials, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- School
of Chemistry, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, P. R. China
| | - Fengling Zhang
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping 58183, Sweden
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41
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Synthesis, molecular structure and photovoltaic performance for polythiophenes with β-carboxylate side chains. JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10965-021-02546-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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42
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Nakano M, Takahara A, Genda K, Shahiduzzaman M, Karakawa M, Taima T, Takahashi K. Selective Extraction of Nonfullerene Acceptors from Bulk-Heterojunction Layer in Organic Solar Cells for Detailed Analysis of Microstructure. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 14:2107. [PMID: 33919451 PMCID: PMC8122272 DOI: 10.3390/ma14092107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Nakano
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan; (A.T.); (K.G.); (M.K.); (T.T.)
| | - Akira Takahara
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan; (A.T.); (K.G.); (M.K.); (T.T.)
| | - Kenji Genda
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan; (A.T.); (K.G.); (M.K.); (T.T.)
| | - Md. Shahiduzzaman
- Nanomaterials Research Institute (NanoMaRi), Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan;
| | - Makoto Karakawa
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan; (A.T.); (K.G.); (M.K.); (T.T.)
- Nanomaterials Research Institute (NanoMaRi), Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan;
- Institute for Frontier Science Initiative (InFiniti), Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Taima
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan; (A.T.); (K.G.); (M.K.); (T.T.)
- Nanomaterials Research Institute (NanoMaRi), Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan;
- Institute for Frontier Science Initiative (InFiniti), Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Kohshin Takahashi
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan; (A.T.); (K.G.); (M.K.); (T.T.)
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43
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Hu D, Yang Q, Zheng Y, Tang H, Chung S, Singh R, Lv J, Fu J, Kan Z, Qin B, Chen Q, Liao Z, Chen H, Xiao Z, Sun K, Lu S. 15.3% Efficiency All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells Achieved by a Locally Asymmetric F, Cl Disubstitution Strategy. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:2004262. [PMID: 33898196 PMCID: PMC8061398 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202004262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Single junction binary all-small-molecule (ASM) organic solar cells (OSCs) with power conversion efficiency (PCE) beyond 14% are achieved by using non-fullerene acceptor Y6 as the electron acceptor, but still lag behind that of polymer OSCs. Herein, an asymmetric Y6-like acceptor, BTP-FCl-FCl, is designed and synthesized to match the recently reported high performance small molecule donor BTR-Cl, and a record efficiency of 15.3% for single-junction binary ASM OSCs is achieved. BTP-FCl-FCl features a F,Cl disubstitution on the same end group affording locally asymmetric structures, and so has a lower total dipole moment, larger average electronic static potential, and lower distribution disorder than those of the globally asymmetric isomer BTP-2F-2Cl, resulting in improved charge generation and extraction. In addition, BTP-FCl-FCl based active layer presents more favorable domain size and finer phase separation contributing to the faster charge extraction, longer charge carrier lifetime, and much lower recombination rate. Therefore, compared with BTP-2F-2Cl, BTP-FCl-FCl based devices provide better performance with FF enhanced from 71.41% to 75.36% and J sc increased from 22.35 to 24.58 mA cm-2, leading to a higher PCE of 15.3%. The locally asymmetric F, Cl disubstitution on the same end group is a new strategy to achieve high performance ASM OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingqin Hu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Key Laboratory of Low‐Grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems (Ministry of Education)School of Energy and Power EngineeringChongqing UniversityChongqing400044P. R. China
| | - Qianguang Yang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Chongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
| | - Yujie Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Low‐Grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems (Ministry of Education)School of Energy and Power EngineeringChongqing UniversityChongqing400044P. R. China
| | - Hua Tang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Chongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
| | - Sein Chung
- Department of Chemical EngineeringPohang University of Science and Technology PohangPohang790‐784South Korea
| | - Ranbir Singh
- Department of Energy and Materials EngineeringDongguk UniversitySeoul100–715Republic of Korea
| | - Jie Lv
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
| | - Jiehao Fu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
| | - Zhipeng Kan
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Chongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
| | - Bo Qin
- Key Laboratory of Low‐Grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems (Ministry of Education)School of Energy and Power EngineeringChongqing UniversityChongqing400044P. R. China
| | - Qianqian Chen
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Key Laboratory of Low‐Grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems (Ministry of Education)School of Energy and Power EngineeringChongqing UniversityChongqing400044P. R. China
| | - Zhihui Liao
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Chongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
| | - Haiyan Chen
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Key Laboratory of Low‐Grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems (Ministry of Education)School of Energy and Power EngineeringChongqing UniversityChongqing400044P. R. China
| | - Zeyun Xiao
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Chongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
| | - Kuan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Low‐Grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems (Ministry of Education)School of Energy and Power EngineeringChongqing UniversityChongqing400044P. R. China
| | - Shirong Lu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent TechnologyChongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS Chongqing)Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
- Chongqing SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesChongqing400714China
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44
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Jiang K, Zhang J, Peng Z, Lin F, Wu S, Li Z, Chen Y, Yan H, Ade H, Zhu Z, Jen AKY. Pseudo-bilayer architecture enables high-performance organic solar cells with enhanced exciton diffusion length. Nat Commun 2021; 12:468. [PMID: 33473135 PMCID: PMC7817662 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20791-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Solution-processed organic solar cells (OSCs) are a promising candidate for next-generation photovoltaic technologies. However, the short exciton diffusion length of the bulk heterojunction active layer in OSCs strongly hampers the full potential to be realized in these bulk heterojunction OSCs. Herein, we report high-performance OSCs with a pseudo-bilayer architecture, which possesses longer exciton diffusion length benefited from higher film crystallinity. This feature ensures the synergistic advantages of efficient exciton dissociation and charge transport in OSCs with pseudo-bilayer architecture, enabling a higher power conversion efficiency (17.42%) to be achieved compared to those with bulk heterojunction architecture (16.44%) due to higher short-circuit current density and fill factor. A certified efficiency of 16.31% is also achieved for the ternary OSC with a pseudo-bilayer active layer. Our results demonstrate the excellent potential for pseudo-bilayer architecture to be used for future OSC applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kui Jiang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Zhengxing Peng
- Department of Physics and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Francis Lin
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Shengfan Wu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Zhen Li
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yuzhong Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Energy Institute, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - He Yan
- Department of Chemistry and Energy Institute, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Harald Ade
- Department of Physics and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
| | - Zonglong Zhu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong. .,Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Alex K-Y Jen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong. .,Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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45
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Lim DU, Jo SB, Cho JH. Cold-Trap-Mediated Broad Dynamic Photodetection in Graphene–Organic Hybrid Photonic Barristors. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:879-890. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c10634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dong Un Lim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Sae Byeok Jo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Nano Science and Technology Research Institute, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2120, United States
| | - Jeong Ho Cho
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
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46
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Seo S, Kim J, Kang H, Lee JW, Lee S, Kim GU, Kim BJ. Polymer Donors with Temperature-Insensitive, Strong Aggregation Properties Enabling Additive-Free, Processing Temperature-Tolerant High-Performance All-Polymer Solar Cells. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Soodeok Seo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinseck Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunbum Kang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Woo Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungjin Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Geon-U Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Bumjoon J. Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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47
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Zarrabi N, Sandberg OJ, Kaiser C, Subbiah J, Jones DJ, Meredith P, Armin A. Experimental Evidence Relating Charge-Transfer-State Kinetics and Strongly Reduced Bimolecular Recombination in Organic Solar Cells. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:10519-10525. [PMID: 33289568 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c02905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Significantly reduced bimolecular recombination relative to the Langevin recombination rate has been observed in a limited number of donor-acceptor organic semiconductor blends. The strongly reduced recombination has been previously attributed to a high probability for the interfacial charge-transfer (CT) states (formed upon charge encounter) to dissociate back to free charges. However, whether the reduced recombination is due to a suppressed CT-state decay rate or an improved dissociation rate has remained a matter of conjecture. Here we investigate a donor-acceptor material system that exhibits significantly reduced recombination upon solvent annealing. On the basis of detailed balance analysis and the accurate characterization of CT-state parameters, we provide experimental evidence that an increase in the dissociation rate of CT states upon solvent annealing is responsible for the reduced recombination. We attribute this to the presence of purer and more percolated domains in the solvent-annealed system, which may, therefore, have a stronger entropic driving force for CT dissociation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasim Zarrabi
- Sustainable Advanced Materials (Ser-SAM), Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Oskar J Sandberg
- Sustainable Advanced Materials (Ser-SAM), Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Kaiser
- Sustainable Advanced Materials (Ser-SAM), Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Jegadesan Subbiah
- Bio21 Institute and School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
| | - David J Jones
- Bio21 Institute and School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
| | - Paul Meredith
- Sustainable Advanced Materials (Ser-SAM), Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Ardalan Armin
- Sustainable Advanced Materials (Ser-SAM), Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
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48
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Lee TH, Park SY, Du X, Park S, Zhang K, Li N, Cho S, Brabec CJ, Kim JY. Effects on Photovoltaic Characteristics by Organic Bilayer- and Bulk-Heterojunctions: Energy Losses, Carrier Recombination and Generation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:55945-55953. [PMID: 33270428 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c16854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the photovoltaic characteristics of organic solar cells (OSCs) for two distinctly different nanostructures, by comparing the charge carrier dynamics for bilayer- and bulk-heterojunction OSCs. Most interestingly, both architectures exhibit fairly similar power conversion efficiencies (PCEs), reflecting a comparable critical domain size for charge generation and charge recombination. Although this is, at first hand, surprising, a detailed analysis points out the similarity between these two concepts. A bulk-heterojunction architecture arranges the charge generating domains in a 3D ensemble across the whole bulk, while bilayer architectures arrange the specific domains on top of each other, rather than sharp bilayers. Specifically, for the polymer PBDB-T-2F, we find that the enhanced charge generation in a bulk composite is partially compensated by reduced recombination in the bilayer architecture, when nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) are used instead of a fullerene acceptor. Overall, we demonstrate that bilayer-heterojunction OSCs with NFAs can reach competitive PCEs compared to the corresponding bulk-heterojunction OSCs because of reduced nonradiative open-circuit voltage losses, and suppressed trap-assisted recombination, as a result of a vertically separated donor-to-acceptor nanostructure. In contrast, the bilayer-heterojunction OSCs with the fullerene acceptor exhibited poor photovoltaic characteristics compared to the corresponding bulk devices because of highly aggregated acceptor molecules on top of the polymer donor. Although free carrier generation is reduced in a in a bilayer-heterojunction, because of reduced donor/acceptor interfaces and a limited exciton diffusion length, more favorable transport pathways for unipolar charge collection can partially compensate the aforementioned disadvantages. We propose that the unique properties of NFAs may open a technical venue for the bilayer-heterojunction as a great and easy alternative to the bulk heterojunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tack Ho Lee
- Department of Energy Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, White City Campus, London W12 0BZ, U.K
| | - Song Yi Park
- Department of Energy Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
- Department of Physics and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Xiaoyan Du
- Institute of Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91058, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürenberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN), Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Sujung Park
- Department of Physics and Energy Harvest Storage Research Center (EHSRC), University of Ulsan, Ulsan 44610, Republic of Korea
| | - Kaicheng Zhang
- Institute of Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Ning Li
- Institute of Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91058, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürenberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN), Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Shinuk Cho
- Department of Physics and Energy Harvest Storage Research Center (EHSRC), University of Ulsan, Ulsan 44610, Republic of Korea
| | - Christoph J Brabec
- Institute of Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology (i-MEET), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91058, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürenberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN), Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Jin Young Kim
- Department of Energy Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
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Guo X, Fan Q, Wu J, Li G, Peng Z, Su W, Lin J, Hou L, Qin Y, Ade H, Ye L, Zhang M, Li Y. Optimized Active Layer Morphologies via Ternary Copolymerization of Polymer Donors for 17.6 % Efficiency Organic Solar Cells with Enhanced Fill Factor. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202010596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xia Guo
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Qunping Fan
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Jingnan Wu
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Guangwei Li
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Zhongxiang Peng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences Tianjin University Tianjin 300350 China
| | - Wenyan Su
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications Siyuan Laboratory Department of Physics Jinan University Guangzhou 510632 China
| | - Ji Lin
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Lintao Hou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications Siyuan Laboratory Department of Physics Jinan University Guangzhou 510632 China
| | - Yunpeng Qin
- Department of Physics Organic and Carbon Electronics Lab (ORaCEL) North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA
| | - Harald Ade
- Department of Physics Organic and Carbon Electronics Lab (ORaCEL) North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 27695 USA
| | - Long Ye
- School of Materials Science and Engineering Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences Tianjin University Tianjin 300350 China
| | - Maojie Zhang
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Yongfang Li
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 China
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50
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Guo X, Fan Q, Wu J, Li G, Peng Z, Su W, Lin J, Hou L, Qin Y, Ade H, Ye L, Zhang M, Li Y. Optimized Active Layer Morphologies via Ternary Copolymerization of Polymer Donors for 17.6 % Efficiency Organic Solar Cells with Enhanced Fill Factor. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 60:2322-2329. [PMID: 33058442 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202010596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Regulating molecular structure to optimize the active layer morphology is of considerable significance for improving the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, we demonstrated a simple ternary copolymerization approach to develop a terpolymer donor PM6-Tz20 by incorporating the 5,5'-dithienyl-2,2'-bithiazole (DTBTz, 20 mol%) unit into the backbone of PM6 (PM6-Tz00). This method can effectively tailor the molecular orientation and aggregation of the polymer, and then optimize the active layer morphology and the corresponding physical processes of devices, ultimately boosting FF and then PCE. Hence, the PM6-Tz20: Y6-based OSCs achieved a PCE of up to 17.1% with a significantly enhanced FF of 0.77. Using Ag (220 nm) instead of Al (100 nm) as cathode, the champion PCE was further improved to 17.6%. This work provides a simple and effective molecular design strategy to optimize the active layer morphology of OSCs for improving photovoltaic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Guo
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Qunping Fan
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Jingnan Wu
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Guangwei Li
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Zhongxiang Peng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Wenyan Su
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, Siyuan Laboratory, Department of Physics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Ji Lin
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Lintao Hou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, Siyuan Laboratory, Department of Physics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Yunpeng Qin
- Department of Physics, Organic and Carbon Electronics Lab (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Harald Ade
- Department of Physics, Organic and Carbon Electronics Lab (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Long Ye
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Maojie Zhang
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Yongfang Li
- Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.,Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
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