Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2025
In situ Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering on Roll-To-Roll Coating of Organic Solar Cells with Laboratory X-ray Instrumentation
Published on: March 2, 2021
Additive-free molecular acceptor organic solar cells processed from a biorenewable solvent approaching 15% efficiency
Zhifang Du1, Hoang Mai Luong1, Sina Sabury2
1Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA. quyen@chem.ucsb.edu.
Researchers developed high-efficiency organic photovoltaics (OPVs) using novel donor polymers and molecular acceptors processed with a green solvent, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF). This approach achieves power conversion efficiencies approaching 15% by optimizing morphology and molecular interactions.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) offer a promising avenue for renewable energy generation.
- Processing challenges and limited power conversion efficiency (PCE) have hindered widespread OPV adoption.
- Developing sustainable processing methods and high-performance materials is crucial for advancing OPV technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop high-performance bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaics (OPVs) using a biomass-derived solvent.
- To engineer novel donor polymers and molecular acceptors (MAs) for enhanced processability and efficiency in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF).
- To investigate the structure-property relationships governing OPV performance based on morphology and molecular interactions.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of two novel donor polymers with opened ring units and three molecular acceptors (MAs).
- Processing of BHJ OPVs using 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) as a biomass-derived solvent.
- Characterization of BHJ morphology at various length scales using techniques including atomic force microscopy (AFM), grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and 2D solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (2D ssNMR).
Main Results:
- Achieved power conversion efficiencies (PCE) approaching 15% in BHJ OPVs.
- Demonstrated enhanced donor-acceptor (D-A) miscibility and favorable intermixing in the BHJ films processed with 2-MeTHF.
- Identified optimal BHJ morphology with an average domain size of ~25 nm, high domain purity, and uniform distribution, leading to efficient charge generation and extraction.
- Observed limited trap-assisted recombination due to optimized morphology and molecular packing.
Conclusions:
- The use of engineered donor polymers and molecular acceptors processed with 2-MeTHF enables high-performance BHJ OPVs.
- Optimized BHJ morphology, including favorable D-A intermixing and domain purity, is critical for high PCE.
- This approach offers a sustainable and efficient pathway for the development of next-generation organic solar cells.
More Related Videos
08:29Morphology Control for Fully Printable Organic–Inorganic Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells Based on a Ti-alkoxide and Semiconducting Polymer
Published on: January 10, 2017
09:32Well-aligned Vertically Oriented ZnO Nanorod Arrays and their Application in Inverted Small Molecule Solar Cells
Published on: April 25, 2018
