Emerging BODIPY-Based NonFullerene Acceptors: Innovations for Organic Solar Cells

Recent rapid progress in nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) has transformed the landscape of organic solar cells (OSCs), resulting in a substantial improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE). BODIPY (boron-dipyrromethene) derivatives as NFAs have emerged as an important category of materials owing to their strong visible to near-infrared (NIR) absorption, tunable frontier energy levels, and adjustable molecular architectures. This review highlights recent developments in BODIPY derivatives, used as NFAs, emphasizing their molecular design, optoelectronic features, and applications as NFAs in OSCs. Through strategic selection of donor and acceptor moieties, extended π-conjugation, and tunable optical and electrochemical properties, these NFAs achieve enhanced charge transport and broader visible absorption profiles. Despite challenges like aggregation and suboptimal film morphology, these NFAs have demonstrated a promising PCE of 13.94% in binary blends. This first comprehensive review on BODIPY-based NFAs thoroughly highlights their design, photonic and electronic properties, and solar cell performance. By addressing current limitations and outlining future opportunities, this work provides critical insights into the development of BODIPY dyes as NFAs for efficient next-generation OSC applications.