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Updated: May 12, 2025
Morphology Control for Fully Printable Organic–Inorganic Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells Based on a Ti-alkoxide and Semiconducting Polymer
Published on: January 10, 2017
Rational Regulation of Layer-by-Layer Processed Active Layer via Trimer-Induced Pre-Swelling Strategy for Efficient
Shenzheng Gao1, Shanlei Xu1, Cheng Sun2
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center of Light-Electricity-Heat Energy-Converting Materials and Applications, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, P.R. China.
A novel trimer-induced pre-swelling (TIP) strategy enhances thick-film organic solar cells (OSCs). This method improves donor/acceptor arrangement, boosting photovoltaic performance and stability for large-scale printing applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- Thick-film organic solar cells (OSCs) offer roll-to-roll printing compatibility for scalable manufacturing.
- Challenges in thick-film OSCs include poor donor/acceptor arrangement, limited exciton dissociation, and carrier traps, hindering performance.
- Existing methods struggle to control morphology in thicker active layers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a new strategy for fabricating high-performance thick-film OSCs.
- To address the limitations of donor/acceptor arrangement and carrier transport in thick-film devices.
- To improve the efficiency and stability of organic solar cells for industrial applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of a twisted 3D star-shaped trimer (BTT-Out).
- Development of a trimer-induced pre-swelling (TIP) strategy by incorporating BTT-Out into the donor layer.
- Utilizing layer-by-layer deposition for controlled fabrication of thick-film OSCs.
- Characterization of material morphology, exciton dynamics, and charge transport properties.
Main Results:
- The TIP strategy effectively pre-swells the donor network, facilitating acceptor infiltration and D/A interface formation.
- Enhanced polaron formation and accelerated hole-transfer kinetics improve exciton dissociation efficiency.
- Regulated swelling promotes acceptor self-assembly, optimizing charge transport and reducing carrier traps.
- Achieved champion efficiencies of 20.3% for thin-film and 18.8% for thick-film OSCs with enhanced stability.
Conclusions:
- The TIP strategy using BTT-Out is a viable approach for fabricating high-performance thick-film OSCs.
- This method overcomes key challenges in morphology control and charge transport for thick-film organic photovoltaics.
- The achieved results represent a significant advancement in the field of thick-film OSCs, paving the way for commercial viability.
