High-performance stretchable organic solar cells enabled by cyclic nanoring additives

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Electronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Organic solar cells (OSCs) offer flexible and lightweight energy solutions.
• Improving the mechanical durability of OSCs is crucial for practical applications.
• Current OSCs often suffer from performance degradation under mechanical stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the stretchability of organic solar cells (OSCs) using conjugated carbon cyclic nanorings ([6]CPP).
• To investigate the impact of [6]CPP additives on the photovoltaic performance and mechanical stability of PM6:Y6 active layers.
• To develop intrinsically stretchable OSCs with improved long-term operational reliability.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of [6]CPP as solid additives into the PM6:Y6 active layer of OSCs at 5 wt%.
• Fabrication of organic solar cell devices with and without [6]CPP additives.
• Mechanical testing of the OSCs under tensile strain (up to 25%) to evaluate stretchability and durability.
• Photovoltaic performance characterization (e.g., Power Conversion Efficiency - PCE) before and after mechanical stress.

Main Results:

• The addition of 5 wt% [6]CPP significantly enhanced the film stretchability of the PM6:Y6 active layer.
• OSCs incorporating [6]CPP retained approximately 77% of their initial Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) after undergoing 25% tensile strain.
• Devices with [6]CPP additives demonstrated substantially improved mechanical durability compared to control devices without additives.

Conclusions:

• Conjugated carbon cyclic nanorings ([6]CPP) are effective solid additives for improving the stretchability of organic solar cells.
• The incorporation of [6]CPP allows for the development of intrinsically stretchable OSCs without compromising photovoltaic performance.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for creating robust and durable organic electronic devices for wearable and flexible applications.