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Updated: May 10, 2026

Morphology Control for Fully Printable Organic–Inorganic Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells Based on a Ti-alkoxide and Semiconducting Polymer
Published on: January 10, 2017
Exploring cyclometalated Ir complexes as donor materials for organic solar cells.
Tyler B Fleetham1, Zixing Wang, Jian Li
1Material Science and Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
Researchers developed a novel iridium complex for organic photovoltaics, achieving 2.8% power conversion efficiency. This advancement addresses key limitations in small molecular organic solar cells, paving the way for improved performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- Small molecular organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials face performance limitations.
- These include low exciton diffusion lengths, poor solubility, and unfavorable energy level alignment with fullerene acceptors.
- Developing new materials is crucial for advancing OPV technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the use of an iridium complex as a donor material in OPVs.
- To overcome the limitations of traditional small molecular OPV materials.
- To achieve improved performance through solution processing and tunable properties.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of a cyclometalated iridium complex.
- Fabrication of a bilayer organic photovoltaic device using the iridium complex and C60.
- Performance evaluation of the device under various conditions.
Main Results:
- A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.8% was achieved in the iridium complex/C60 bilayer device.
- An open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1 V was obtained, despite a low estimated exciton energy of 1.55 eV.
- The device exhibited minimal dependence on temperature and light intensity, indicating stability.
Conclusions:
- Iridium complexes show promise as donor materials for organic photovoltaics.
- The developed material offers potential for solution processing and tunable optoelectronic properties.
- The high VOC and stability suggest a viable pathway for efficient and durable organic solar cells.
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