High Efficiency Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells with Thick Active Layer and Large Area

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Organic Electronics

Background:

• Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are a key area of renewable energy research.
• Nonfullerene acceptors offer advantages over traditional fullerene-based systems.
• Developing efficient polymer donors is crucial for advancing PSC technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop high-efficiency nonfullerene polymer solar cells (PSCs).
• To evaluate the performance of a thiazolothiazole-containing wide bandgap polymer (PTZ1) as a donor material.
• To investigate the potential of PTZ1:IDIC blends for large-scale device fabrication.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PSCs using PTZ1 as the donor and IDIC as the acceptor.
• Optimization of device performance through thermal annealing treatment.
• Characterization of device performance, including power conversion efficiency (PCE), open circuit voltage (V_oc), short-circuit current density (J_sc), and fill factor.

Main Results:

• Achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 11.5% with optimized PTZ1:IDIC devices.
• Obtained an open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.92 V, short-circuit current density (J_sc) of 16.4 mA cm^-2, and fill factor of 76.2%.
• Demonstrated sustained high PCE (9.6%) for thicker active layers (210 nm) and excellent performance (10.5% PCE) in larger area devices (0.81 cm²).

Conclusions:

• PTZ1 is a highly promising polymer donor material for efficient, fullerene-free PSCs.
• The developed PTZ1:IDIC system shows potential for scalable manufacturing of solar cells.
• Further research into PTZ1-based materials could lead to advancements in organic photovoltaic technology.