Solid Additive Dual-Regulates Spectral Response Enabling High-Performance Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Electronics
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Semi-transparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) offer potential for building-integrated photovoltaics but face limitations in spectral utilization and power conversion efficiency (PCE).
• Current strategies often compromise PCE for transparency, limiting overall light utilization efficiency (LUE).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel additive for ST-OSCs to simultaneously enhance spectral response and visible light transparency.
• To improve the light utilization efficiency (LUE) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ST-OSCs.

Main Methods:

• A solid additive, 1,3-diphenoxybenzene (DB), was introduced to dual-regulate donor/acceptor molecular aggregation and crystallinity in ST-OSCs.
• The spectral response, average visible transmittance (AVT), photocurrent, and LUE of the modified ST-OSCs were evaluated.

Main Results:

• The addition of DB broadened the spectral response of ST-OSCs into the near-infrared region.
• Optimal ST-OSCs achieved a high LUE of 4.77% within an AVT range of 40-50%, demonstrating simultaneous high photocurrent and transparency.
• The improved performance correlated with the formation of a multi-scale phase-separated morphology.

Conclusions:

• The novel additive DB effectively tunes the spectral response and aggregation in ST-OSCs, overcoming previous limitations.
• These enhanced ST-OSCs meet commercial efficiency and plant photosynthesis requirements, showing promise for integration into agricultural greenhouses.
• This work highlights the critical role of additives in advancing organic photovoltaics for sustainable development.