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Morphology Control for Fully Printable Organic–Inorganic Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells Based on a Ti-alkoxide and Semiconducting Polymer

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Crystallization Kinetics Directed by Additive Symmetry for Morphology Control in High-Efficiency Organic Solar Cells.

Keteng Zhu¹, Panpan Zhang¹, Zhigang Xu¹

¹Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, Suzhou Key Laboratory of Novel Semiconductor Materials and Devices, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China.

Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)

|May 1, 2026

Summary

Solid additives like dibromonaphthalene isomers control organic solar cell performance by influencing nanoscale morphology. 2,6-DBN isomer enhances efficiency by optimizing crystallization kinetics for better molecular packing and charge transport.

Keywords:

crystallization kinetics molecular symmetry morphology control organic solar cells solid additive

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Influence of Hybrid Perovskite Fabrication Methods on Film Formation, Electronic Structure, and Solar Cell Performance

Influence of Hybrid Perovskite Fabrication Methods on Film Formation, Electronic Structure, and Solar Cell Performance

Published on: February 27, 2017

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Organic Electronics
Nanotechnology

Background:

Nanoscale morphology is crucial for organic solar cell (OSC) performance.
Solvent additives, while common for morphology control, suffer from volatility issues affecting stability and reproducibility.
Understanding additive effects on molecular packing and phase organization is key for high-performance OSCs.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of four dibromonaphthalene (DBN) positional isomers as solid-state additives in PM6:Y6-based OSCs.
To elucidate the role of crystallization kinetics versus additive crystallinity in morphology regulation.
To develop a generalizable strategy for designing effective solid additives for OSCs.

Main Methods:

Systematic investigation of four DBN isomers (1,8-, 1,5-, 2,7-, and 2,6-DBN) as solid-state additives.
Analysis of DBN isomers' molecular symmetry and crystallization kinetics.
Morphological characterization of the active layer in PM6:Y6:DBN blends.
Performance evaluation of OSC devices incorporating DBN additives.

Main Results:

DBN isomers, despite identical composition, exhibited distinct effects on acceptor aggregation and phase organization due to differences in symmetry and crystallization kinetics.
2,6-DBN, with its high symmetry and moderate supercooling, facilitated balanced crystallization kinetics during annealing.
This led to improved π-π stacking, favorable vertical phase distribution, reduced energetic disorder, enhanced charge mobility, suppressed non-radiative recombination, and balanced charge transport.
A champion power conversion efficiency of 19.65% was achieved in PM6:Y6 devices with 2,6-DBN.

Conclusions:

Crystallization kinetics, not just additive crystallinity, is a critical determinant for morphology control in OSCs.
The 2,6-DBN isomer offers a promising solid additive strategy for enhancing OSC performance.
This study provides a generalizable approach for rational solid additive design in high-performance organic solar cells.