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Environmentally Friendly Solvent-Processed Organic Solar Cells that are Highly Efficient and Adaptable for the
Wenchao Zhao1,2, Shaoqing Zhang3, Yun Zhang1,2
1State 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.
This study demonstrates high-efficiency organic solar cells (OSCs) using eco-friendly solvents and scalable blade-coating methods. These advancements are crucial for the practical, large-scale production of organic solar cell technology.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy Technologies
- Organic Electronics
Background:
- State-of-the-art organic solar cells (OSCs) achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 13%.
- Current laboratory-scale fabrication methods and solvents for OSCs are not suitable for industrial production.
- Developing scalable and environmentally friendly processing is essential for the commercial viability of OSC technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of environmentally friendly solvents for fabricating high-performance OSCs.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of scalable coating methods, such as blade-coating, for OSC production.
- To achieve high PCEs in OSC devices processed using sustainable methods.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of PBTA-TF:IT-M based OSC devices using environmentally friendly solvents like tetrahydrofuran/isopropyl alcohol (THF/IPA) and o-xylene/1-phenylnaphthalene.
- Utilized spin-coating method to achieve high PCEs.
- Employed blade-coating method for non-fullerene OSCs and large-area devices.
Main Results:
- A spin-coated PBTA-TF:IT-M based OSC achieved a PCE of 13.1%, a top result for OSCs.
- A blade-coated non-fullerene OSC processed with THF/IPA demonstrated a promising PCE of 11.7%.
- A large-area (1.0 cm²) blade-coated device using THF/IPA maintained a PCE of 10.6%.
Conclusions:
- Environmentally friendly solvents and scalable coating methods are critical for practical OSC utilization.
- Blade-coating with THF/IPA offers a viable route for large-scale, efficient OSC production.
- The achieved results pave the way for future large-scale manufacturing of high-efficiency OSCs.
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