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Morphology Control for Fully Printable Organic–Inorganic Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells Based on a Ti-alkoxide and Semiconducting Polymer
Published on: January 10, 2017
Taming Crystallization Kinetics via Side-Chain Steric Engineering Enables Over 21% Efficiency in
Shengxi Zhou1,2, Chengyi Xiao1, Mengdi Li1
1Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering & State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Developing non-halogenated organic solar cells (OSCs) is crucial. A new molecular design for non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) overcomes solvent limitations, achieving over 21% efficiency in eco-friendly OSCs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- High-performance organic solar cells (OSCs) require sustainable, non-halogenated processing solvents.
- Halogen-free solvents cause non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) aggregation and phase separation, limiting device efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a weakly crystalline NFA (TPD-Y) using side-chain steric control for improved performance in non-halogenated OSCs.
- To investigate TPD-Y's role as a crystallization-kinetics modulator in multi-component blends.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized TPD-Y, a novel NFA with a thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione core.
- Studied TPD-Y's photophysical properties, including photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY).
- Fabricated quaternary OSCs using TPD-Y and BTP-eC9 in non-halogenated solvents (o-xylene/carbon disulfide).
Main Results:
- TPD-Y exhibited reduced crystallinity, suppressing aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) and achieving a PLQY of 8.19%.
- TPD-Y modulated crystallization kinetics, forming an alloy phase that optimized nanoscale morphology and interfacial area.
- OSCs processed with TPD-Y achieved a fill factor of 82% and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 21%.
Conclusions:
- Side-chain steric engineering of NFAs is an effective strategy to enhance OSC performance in non-halogenated solvents.
- TPD-Y enables efficient film formation and improved charge generation/collection, addressing key limitations in green OSC processing.
- This research advances the commercialization of high-efficiency, low-toxicity organic photovoltaics.
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