High Voc solution-processed organic solar cells containing silicon phthalocyanine as a non-fullerene electron acceptor

Synthetically facile organic solar cells with >4% efficiency using P3HT and a silicon phthalocyanine non-fullerene acceptor

“…5 Silicon phthalocyanine (SiPc) derivatives prepared from straightforward synthetic routes have been established as effective ternary additives in solution-processed OPV devices, [6][7][8] and have shown potential for use as NFAs. 9,10 In recent work, we demonstrated that using alkylsiloxy-functionalized SiPc as an NFA with P3HT can yield devices with a promising PCE of 3.6 %, slightly higher than a PCE of 3.4 % achieved when combined with the state-of-the-art polymer poly[(2,6-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)- 11 The synthetic simplicity of SiPc derivatives compels continuing investigations into its use as an NFA, specifically paired with P3HT to minimize the overall synthetic complexity of the active layer materials. In this work, we show that the SiPc derivative bis(tri-n-propylsilyl oxide) silicon phthalocyanine ((3PS) 2 -SiPc), which possesses a unique combination of excellent solubility and thermal properties, can achieve an impressive PCE of 4.3 % as an NFA in a P3HT-based device.…”

From chemical curiosity to versatile building blocks: unmasking the hidden potential of main-group phthalocyanines in organic field-effect transistors

“…Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that X 2 -SiPcs exhibit promising n-type mobilities, offering an alternative to the widely employed fullerene base acceptors. 194,195 In 2018, Melville et al reported X 2 -SiPcs in OTFT application for the first time. 32 Specifically, they investigated the use of a series of X 2 -SiPcs axially functionalised with carboxylates attached to aromatic rings as active materials in OTFTs (Fig.…”

High Voc Fullerene-Free Organic Photovoltaics Composed of PTB7 and Axially-Substituted Silicon Phthalocyanines

“…18 Axially substituted silicon phthalocyanines (R 2 -SiPc) are ideal candidates for low-cost, high-VOC acceptor materials. [21][22][23] While metal phthalocyanine (MPc) have been investigated in organic electronic applications for more than 50 year, R 2 -SiPcs are relatively understudied, having emerged in recent years 24 and successfully incorporated in multiple new application, including organic thin-lm transistors (OTFTs), [25][26][27][28][29][30] organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) [31][32][33] and in OPVs 21,31,34−37 . The synthetic complexity (SC) index 38 of R 2 -SiPcs have been calculated to be at least three times lower (SC = 12) 23 than that of several prominent OPV acceptors materials, such as PC 61 BM (SC = 36) 39 , Y6 (SC = 59) 40 and ITIC (SC = 67) 41 .…”

“…yielded a device with an exceptionally high Voc of nearly 1.1 V. 21 There are relatively few reports investigating the use of R 2 -SiPc as stand-alone acceptors in OPVs. [21][22][23] therefore it is vital to investigate pairing these cost-effective molecules with different donor polymers and optimizing these devices to exploit their full potential in OPVs.…”