Enhancing photovoltaic performance via aggregation dynamics control in fused‐ring electron acceptor

Wang, Jiayu; Zhu, Runyu; Wang, Shijie; Li, Yawen; Jia, Boyu; Zhou, Jiadong; Xue, Peiyao; Seibt, Susanne; Lin, Yuze; Xie, Zengqi; Ma, Wei; Zhan, Xiaowei

doi:10.1002/agt2.29

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…[16] The thermal stability of OSC active layer is associated with the thermodynamics of blend systems and the kinetics of thermal treatments. [19,22,23] The initial morphology of the as-cast active layer generally remains in a non-equilibrium state and lacks adequate electron transport pathways, resulting in inferior performance. However, shorttime thermal annealing or solvent vapor annealing provides large thermodynamic driving forces to regulate the molecular stacking and optimize phase separation structure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermally stable poly(3‐hexylthiophene): Nonfullerene solar cells with efficiency breaking 10%

et al. 2022

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Solar cells featuring polythiophenes as donors are one of the optoelectronic devices that hold notable promises for commercial application, profiting from the lowest synthetic complexity and excellent scalability. However, the complex phase behaviors of polythiophenes and their blends put constraints on modulating electrical performance and thus realizing stable performance under thermal stress. In this contribution, we present a multi‐technique approach that combines calorimetry, scattering, spectroscopy, and microscopy to thoroughly probe the thermodynamic mixing, thermal properties of materials, the evolution of nanoscale domain structure, and device performance of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with a range of nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) such as ITIC, IDTBR, and ZY‐4Cl. Accordingly, two blending guidelines are established for matching these popular NFAs with P3HT to enable highly efficient and thermally stable cells. First, blend systems with weak vitrification and hypo‐miscibility are excellent candidates for efficient solar cells. Furthermore, high thermal stability can be achieved by selecting NFAs with diffusion‐limited crystallization. The P3HT:ZY‐4Cl blend was found to endow the best performance of over 10% efficiency and an exceptionally high T80 lifetime of >6000 h under continuous thermal annealing, which are among the highest values for P3HT‐based solar cells. This realization of high thermal stability and efficiency demonstrates the remarkable potentials of simple polythiophene :nonfullerene pairs in electronic applications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermally stable poly(3‐hexylthiophene): Nonfullerene solar cells with efficiency breaking 10%

et al. 2022

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“…Furthermore, investigations on low‐cost, scale‐up and eco‐friendly synthesis of active materials are also necessary, for example, noncovalently FREA [ 119‐123 ] and organotin‐free synthesis [ 124 ] . (2) The effects of processing methods on morphology and device performance [ 125‐126 ] and fabrication technologies adapting to large‐area, flexible and semitransparent devices/modules should be further explored (Figure 11b). [ 116,127‐128 ] (3) Based on the unique features of OSC such as light weight, flexibility and semitransparency, integration of OSC with other devices ( e.g ., battery, supercapacitor, sensor) or into certain scenarios ( e.g ., greenhouse, window, roof, facade) can make a breakthrough in commercialization of OSC.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Perylene Diimide Polymers to Fused‐Ring Electron Acceptors: A 15‐Year Exploration Journey of Nonfullerene Acceptors

Wang

Zhan

2022

Chin. J. Chem.

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Comprehensive Summary Fullerene derivatives are classic electron acceptor materials for organic solar cells (OSCs) but possess some intrinsic drawbacks such as weak visible light absorption, limited optoelectronic property tunability, difficult purification and photochemical/morphological instability. Fullerene acceptors are a bottleneck restricting further development of this field. Our group pioneered the exploration of novel nonfullerene acceptors in China in 2006, and initiated the research of two representative acceptor systems, rylene diimide polymer and fused‐ring electron acceptor (FREA). FREA breaks the theoretical efficiency limit of fullerene‐based OSCs (~13%) and promotes the whole field to an unprecedented prosperity with efficiency of 20%, heralding a nonfullerene era for OSCs. In this review, we revisit 15‐year nonfullerene exploration journey, summarize the design principles, molecular engineering strategies, physical mechanisms and device applications of these two nonfullerene acceptor systems, and propose some possible research topics in the near future. What is the most favorite and original chemistry developed in your research group? Fused‐ring electron acceptor for photovoltaics. How do you get into this specific field? Could you please share some experiences with our readers? In 2006 when I came back to ICCAS from USA and started my independent academic career, I was interested in organic photovoltaics (OPV) which I had never touched before since I believed it is useful and should have a bright future. OPV converts renewable solar energy to clean electricity through photovoltaic effect. The active layer in OPV device consists of electron donor and electron acceptor. Although fullerenes were prevailing acceptor materials in OPV at that time, I doubted if this choice is correct considering their fatal flaws such as weak absorption. I was curious about why no research groups in China explored fullerene alternatives before 2006. In 2006 our group initiated the nonfullerene OPV research of China. In 2015 we invented the milestone molecule ITIC and pioneered fused‐ring electron acceptor (FREA). Around 300 research groups in >20 countries have utilized the FREA to fabricate high‐efficiency OPV devices with champion efficiency of >20%. The FREA has subverted previously predominant fullerenes, and is inaugurating a new era of the OPV field. How do you supervise your students? I expect that my students should have some essential personalities such as curiosity, creativity, devotion, persistence and diligence. I encourage them to do original, unique and leading research. I endow them with cheerful academic atmosphere such as self‐motivation, open‐mindedness and cross‐cooperation. I would like to provide them with warm human solicitude when they need help or suffer from bitterness. What is the most important personality for scientific research? Curiosity; uniqueness; persistence.

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“…[ 22,23 ] In general, the opto‐electronic characteristics and packing structures of FREAs can be regulated by changing the central D and terminal A units. [ 24–31 ] In 2019, Zou et al. developed a novel design strategy for A‐DA'D‐A type FREA, [ 32 ] which hinges on the introduction of an electron‐deficient building block such as benzothiadiazole (BT) or benzotriazole (BTz) in the core.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent progress in low‐cost noncovalently fused‐ring electron acceptors for organic solar cells

Bai

Liang

et al. 2022

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The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of organic solar cells (OSCs) have improved considerably in recent years with the development of fused-ring electron acceptors (FREAs). Currently, FREAs-based OSCs have achieved high PCEs of over 19% in single-junction OSCs. Whereas the relatively high synthetic complexity and the low yield of FREAs typically result in high production costs, hindering the commercial application of OSCs. In contrast, noncovalently fused-ring electron acceptors (NFREAs) can compensate for the shortcomings of FREAs and facilitate large-scale industrial production by virtue of the simple structure, facile synthesis, high yield, low cost, and reasonable efficiency. At present, OSCs based on NFREAs have exceeded the PCEs of 15% and are expected to reach comparable efficiency as FREAs-based OSCs. Here, recent advances in NFREAs in this review provide insight into improving the performance of OSCs. In particular, this paper focuses on the effect of the chemical structures of NFREAs on the molecule conformation, aggregation, and packing mode. Various molecular design strategies, such as core, side-chain, and terminal group engineering, are presented. In addition, some novel polymer acceptors based on NFREAs for all-polymer OSCs are also introduced. In the end, the paper provides an outlook on developing efficient, stable, and low-cost NFREAs for achieving commercial applications.

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Enhancing photovoltaic performance via aggregation dynamics control in fused‐ring electron acceptor

Cited by 16 publications

References 70 publications

Thermally stable poly(3‐hexylthiophene): Nonfullerene solar cells with efficiency breaking 10%

Thermally stable poly(3‐hexylthiophene): Nonfullerene solar cells with efficiency breaking 10%

From Perylene Diimide Polymers to Fused‐Ring Electron Acceptors: A 15‐Year Exploration Journey of Nonfullerene Acceptors

Recent progress in low‐cost noncovalently fused‐ring electron acceptors for organic solar cells

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