Recent progress and prospects of dimer and multimer acceptors for efficient and stable polymer solar cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Electronics
• Photovoltaics

Background:

• Polymer solar cells (PSCs) require high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability for commercialization.
• Small-molecule acceptors (SMAs) have boosted PSC PCE but cause poor long-term stability due to blend morphology degradation.
• Low glass transition temperatures (Tg) of SMAs contribute to diffusion and instability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evolution and molecular design of oligomerized small-molecule acceptors (OSMAs).
• To discuss the mechanisms behind the high PCE and stability of OSMA-based PSCs.
• To provide design guidelines and identify future research directions for commercially viable OSMAs.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of OSMA research in PSCs.
• Analysis of molecular design strategies for OSMAs.
• Discussion of performance metrics and stability mechanisms.

Main Results:

• OSMAs, comprising multiple SMA units, offer improved stability and high PCEs near 19%.
• OSMA-based PSCs demonstrate exceptional long-term operational stability.
• Molecular design innovations have overcome limitations of traditional SMAs.

Conclusions:

• OSMAs represent a promising material class for high-performance and stable PSCs.
• Further research into OSMA design is crucial for commercialization.
• Addressing existing hurdles will pave the way for viable PSC technology.