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Accomplishing High-Performance Organic Solar Sub-Modules (≈55 cm2) with >16% Efficiency by Controlling the
Thavamani Gokulnath1, Hyerin Kim1, Kakaraparthi Kranthiraja1,2
1Department of Chemistry Education, Graduate Department of Chemical Materials, Institute for Plastic Information and Energy Materials, Sustainable Utilization of Photovoltaic Energy Research Center (ERC), Pusan National University, Busandaehakro 63-2, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea.
Researchers developed a new non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) with optimized aggregation for efficient, large-area organic photovoltaic sub-modules. This breakthrough achieves over 16% power conversion efficiency (PCE) using eco-friendly solvents.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Fabricating efficient, solvent-processed organic photovoltaic sub-modules is hindered by non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) aggregation.
- Designing NFAs for controlled aggregation in large-area modules remains a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize a novel NFA with tailored side chains for optimal aggregation and solubility.
- To investigate the performance of organic photovoltaic sub-modules fabricated using this new NFA in halogen-free solvents.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of a new NFA, BTA-HD-Rh, featuring hexyl-decyl side chains.
- Fabrication of organic photovoltaic sub-modules using PM6:L8-BO blended with BTA-HD-Rh in o-xylene:carbon disulfide (O-XY:CS2) solvents.
- Characterization of sub-module performance, morphology, miscibility, and charge transport properties.
Main Results:
- The new NFA, BTA-HD-Rh, demonstrated good solubility and controlled aggregation in halogen-free solvents.
- Organic photovoltaic sub-modules (55 cm2) achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 16%.
- High efficiency correlated with excellent miscibility (Flory-Huggins parameter of 0.372), defined nanoscale morphology, and enhanced charge transport.
Conclusions:
- Careful side chain engineering of NFAs is crucial for controlling active layer aggregation.
- This approach leads to superior performance in large-area organic photovoltaic sub-modules fabricated with environmentally friendly solvents.
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