Development of novel conjugated donor polymers for high-efficiency bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic devices

Solar cells are one attractive method for harnessing inexhaustible clean energy from the sun. Organic photovoltaic technology is emerging as a potential competitor to silicon-based photovoltaic cells (PVCs), and their power conversion efficiencies (PCE) can now exceed 6%. Polymeric bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) PVCs, whose photoactive layer is composed of a blend of bicontinuous and interpenetrating donors and acceptors, can maximize interfacial area between the donor and the acceptor. Classic polymer donors, such as dialkoxy-substituted poly(para-phenylene vinylene)s (PPVs) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), have been widely investigated. However, advances in synthetic methodology provide new avenues for the development of novel conjugated polymer donors with improved power conversion efficiencies. Recently, researchers have achieved great advances in this area. This Account primarily focuses on novel donor polymers that have shown power conversion efficiencies greater than 1%. 2,1,3-Benzothiadiazole, thiophene, thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine, quinoxaline, and silole have emerged as useful heterocycles for constructing a variety of conjugated polymers for photovoltaic applications. We summarize useful information, such as molecular weights, absorption, bandgap, energy levels, and their photovoltaic performances with detailed device parameters (see comparison tables), about these novel donor polymers. We use statistical summaries to evaluate several important parameter relationships among these polymer donors including open-circuit voltage versus HOMO, power conversion efficiency versus bandgap, and power conversion efficiency versus hole mobility. Further statistical analysis of the data listed in these tables may guide further structural design and evaluation of polymer donor materials.