Easy Access to NO2-Containing Donor-Acceptor-Acceptor Electron Donors for High Efficiency Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells

Two donor-acceptor-acceptor (D-A-A)-type molecules incorporating nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBO) as the A-A block and ditolylamine as the D block bridged through a phenylene (PNBO) and a thiophene (TNBO) spacer were synthesized in a one-step coupling reaction. Their electronic, photophysical, and thermal properties; crystallographic analysis; and theoretical calculations were studied to establish a clear structure-property relationship. The results indicate that the quinoidal character of the thiophene bridge strongly governs the structural features and crystal packings (herringbone vs. brickwork) and thus the physical properties of the compounds. PNBO and TNBO were utilized as electron donors combined with C-70 as the electron acceptor in the active layer of vacuum-processed bulk heterojunction small-molecule organic solar cells (SMOSCs). The power conversion efficiency of both PNBO- and TNBO-based OSCs exceeded 5%. The ease of accessibility of PNBO and TNBO demonstrates the potential for simple and economical synthesis of electron donors in vacuum-processed SMOSCs.