Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yunsheng Jiang, Haitao Liu, Xu Li, Yi Yuan, Jinliang Wang, Bo Cui, Yuning Li
Summary: A new polymer TTOTCl as a wide-band-gap donor for nonfullerene acceptor-based organic solar cells is reported. The optical and electronic properties of TTOTCl match well with the nonfullerene acceptor Y6. OSCs using TTOTCl and Y6 achieve high power conversion efficiency and stability.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiaomei Ding, Duyen K. Tran, Daiki Kuzuhara, Tomoyuki Koganezawa, Samson A. Jenekhe
Summary: The study demonstrates that the substitution of selenophene for thiophene in donor-acceptor copolymers enhances the intrinsic polymer properties and the performance of all-polymer solar cells incorporating them.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gururaj P. Kini, Mritunjaya Parashar, Vivek Kumar Shukla, Ranbir Singh
Summary: Two new DPP-based small molecules were synthesized and tested as HTMs in PVSCs, with the DPP-Se variant showing improved photovoltaic properties compared to DPP-Th. The optimized PVSCs based on these HTMs achieved high power conversion efficiency and superior stability under ambient and thermal stress conditions, indicating potential for future application as low-cost, efficient organic small molecule HTMs in PVSCs.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & FUELS
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Zhe Yin, Di Hu, Xueqing Ma, Wenlong Liu, Xinming Zheng, Dawei Li, Hao Lu, Yuqiang Liu, Yahui Liu, Zhishan Bo
Summary: In this study, a series of wide bandgap conjugated polymers, including PTFBDT-C, PTFBDT-O, and PTFBDT-S, were designed and synthesized with alkyl, alkoxy, and thioalkyl side chains. These polymers showed wide optical bandgaps by using benzodithiophene derivatives as donor units and benzothiadiazole derivatives as acceptor units. The low bandgap small molecule L8-BO-4F was used as the acceptor in the fabrication of organic solar cells (OSCs). The results showed that the PTFBDT-C:L8-BO-4F based OSCs exhibited a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.02%, compared to PTFBDT-O:L8-BO-4F based (9.06%) and PTFBDT-S:L8-BO-4F based cells (10.45%). These findings demonstrate that side chain engineering is an effective strategy to enhance the photovoltaic performance of wide bandgap polymers.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pengqing Bi, Shaoqing Zhang, Junzhen Ren, Zhihao Chen, Zhong Zheng, Yong Cui, Jianqiu Wang, Shijie Wang, Tao Zhang, Jiayao Li, Ye Xu, Jinzhao Qin, Cunbin An, Wei Ma, Xiaotao Hao, Jianhui Hou
Summary: This study synthesized three wide-bandgap nonfullerene acceptors with nonfused conjugated structures, among which GS-ISO demonstrated superior performance in terms of optical properties. The OPV cell based on GS-ISO showed excellent power conversion efficiency and stability, making it a promising candidate for various photovoltaic applications.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
L. Mukhammed Keshtov, A. Sergei Kuklin, Yinping Zou, Hemraj Dahiya, Anupam Agrawal, D. Ganesh Sharma
Summary: Three new donor-acceptor conjugated polymers with the same acceptor but different donors were synthesized for non-fullerene based BHJ polymer solar cells. P2, featuring a DTB donor unit, exhibited a deeper HOMO level. When paired with the narrow bandgap acceptor BThIND-Cl, P1, P2, and P3-based PSCs showed varying power conversion efficiencies.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Cansu Zeytun Karaman, Seza Goker, Ummugulsum S. Sahin, Serife O. Hacioglu, Sultan Taskaya Aslan, Tugba Haciefendioglu, Gonul Hizalan, Erol Yildirim, Ali Cirpan, Levent Toppare
Summary: Four novel alternating copolymers were designed and synthesized, with thienothiophene, selenophene, 3-hexylthiophene, and thiophene as bridging units. These polymers were characterized and used in bulk heterojunction solar cells, with the thienothiophene-containing polymer P1 showing the highest power conversion efficiency of 4.25%.
JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hoseon You, Austin L. Jones, Boo Soo Ma, Geon-U Kim, Seungjin Lee, Jin-Woo Lee, Hyunbum Kang, Taek-Soo Kim, John R. Reynolds, Bumjoon J. Kim
Summary: In this study, two wide-bandgap PM7 polymer derivatives were developed by incorporating ester groups at different positions. The introduction of ester groups improved light absorption and mechanical ductility of the thin films. This approach shows promise for future stretchable electronics by enhancing light absorption and mechanical properties.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Keqiang He, Pankaj Kumar, Yi Yuan, Zhifang Zhang, Xu Li, Haitao Liu, Jinliang Wang, Yuning Li
Summary: The study utilizes oxime-substituted thiophene as a novel acceptor unit to copolymerize with the benzodithiophene donor unit to form a D-A polymer donor, enhancing the efficiency of organic solar cells by complementing with nonfullerene acceptors. This not only achieves excellent photovoltaic performance, but also simplifies the synthesis process and increases the overall yield.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Jiamin Cao, Lifei Yi, Lixiu Zhang, Yingping Zou, Liming Ding
Summary: This study provides an overview of the development of wide-bandgap polymers and classifies efficient polymers into five categories. The correlation between the chemical structures of these polymers and their photovoltaic performance is summarized and discussed. The results highlight the diversity of conjugated polymers and inspire chemists to develop more effective polymer materials for commercialization.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Dongsheng Qiu, Xue Lai, Hanjian Lai, Mingrui Pu, Tahir Rehman, Yulin Zhu, Feng He
Summary: Researchers have successfully constructed two new trifluoromethyl-substituted polymer donors, and it has been shown that the trifluoromethylation strategy can enhance the performance of the polymers.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Dongsheng Qiu, Xue Lai, Hanjian Lai, Mingrui Pu, Tahir Rehman, Yulin Zhu, Feng He
Summary: New strategies are needed to design efficient electron-deficient units for D-A-type donor copolymers. Halogenation of these units has been shown to be the most effective strategy to produce high-performance donor polymers. In this study, a single-step, one-pot synthesis of trifluoromethyl-substituted electron-deficient units was developed, resulting in higher power conversion efficiency compared to traditional units. The synthesized polymer donor with a deeper HOMO energy level, better aggregation behavior, and higher hole mobility achieved impressive photovoltaic performance.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Mingwei Su, Dapeng Yang, Changlai Yuan, Liufang Meng, Baohua Zhu, Jiwen Xu, Changrong Zhou, Guanghui Rao
Summary: The high-field polarization enables bandgap-engineered ferroelectric perovskite oxides to enhance their photovoltaic performance. However, the mechanism of the high-field polarization-enhanced ferroelectric photovoltaic effect lacks understanding in terms of bandgap evolution. In this study, ceramics [KNbO3]1-x-[SrNi0.5Hf0.5O3- & delta;]x(KNSNH100x, x = 0.02 - 0.08) with good ferroelectricity and four absorption bandgaps were prepared, three of which have sub-bandgaps generated by Ni. The effect of increased defects induced by high-field polarization on bandgap evolution and photovoltaic properties was investigated. The results show that the increase in defect concentration in KNSNH2 induced by high-field polarization is the cause of the variation in bandgap structure, which leads to an enhancement of visible light absorption and improved photovoltaic performance.
MATERIALS SCIENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiao Chen, Cong Geng, Xinxin Yu, Yishuai Feng, Cheng Liang, Yong Peng, Yi-bing Cheng
Summary: Spray coating is an emerging technique that facilitates the commercialization of perovskite. However, challenges remain in preparing wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells (PSCs) for tandem photovoltaic devices. A two-step evaporate-spray method combined with an additive engineering strategy using n-propylammonium chloride improved the efficiency and stability of methylammonium-free (MA-free) wide-bandgap PSCs. The addition of propylammonium cation passivated grain boundaries and reduced vacancy defects, while Cl- played a role in crystal growth. The resulting champion WBG PSC achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 19% and enhanced humidity stability.
MATERIALS TODAY ENERGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Hao-Wen Cheng, Yepin Zhao, Yang Yang
Summary: Solar energy is gaining attention as an alternative solution to global energy demands, with semitransparent organic photovoltaics (ST-OPVs) receiving focus for their transparency and power conversion efficiency. Recent developments in ST-OPVs center around narrow-bandgap donors and non-fullerene acceptors, utilizing various strategies to improve performance and providing insightful guidelines for future advancements.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Haonan Zhao, Jongchan Kim, Kan Ding, Mina Jung, Yongxi Li, Harald Ade, Jun Yeob Lee, Stephen R. Forrest
Summary: By incorporating a sterically bulky, electron-transporting host material into a conventional single host-guest emissive layer, the phase separation of the host matrix can be suppressed, leading to improved efficiency and operational lifetime of deep-blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs). This bulky host allows for homogeneous mixing of the emissive layer molecules while preventing single host aggregation and nonradiative recombination. The controlled amorphous phase morphology of the mixed-host device reduces nonradiative exciton decay and enhances external quantum efficiency by 120 +/- 6% compared to a similar single-host device. Additionally, the mixed host facilitates the conduction of both charge carriers, reducing the probability of exciton annihilation and doubling the operational lifetime of deep-blue PHOLEDs.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Somayeh Kashani, Zhen Wang, Chad Risko, Harald Ade
Summary: Understanding the optoelectronic responses of nonfullerene small molecule acceptors (NF-SMAs) is crucial for designing materials with controlled properties. In this study, the absorption spectra of three structural classes of NF-SMAs were analyzed, revealing correlations between molecular structure and spectra. It was found that curved Y6-like structures have the smallest intra-molecular reorganization energy, while linear ITIC-like structures have larger reorganization energies and reduced conformational uniformity. Structures with an extra pi-conjugated moiety, such as IDTBR and IEICO, exhibit large excited-state reorganization energies and low degrees of conformational uniformity. The results highlight the importance of designing improved OSCs materials with small reorganization energies, small nonradiative voltage losses, large exciton diffusion lengths, and low energetic disorder using RT absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Justin Neu, Stephanie Samson, Kan Ding, Jeromy James Rech, Harald Ade, Wei You
Summary: This study presents the synthesis and characterization of three conjugated polymers derived from PTQ10 with different oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chain architectures, aiming to develop derivatives with better green-solvent solubility. It is found that linear OEG side chains do not provide desired solubility, while branched OEG side chains significantly improve solubility. The solid-state morphologies of the OEG-based polymers are similar to PTQ10, and the device performance in bulk heterojunction solar cells varies depending on the OEG side chain structure. PTQ-6O shows comparable power conversion efficiency (PCE) to PTQ10, while PTQ-6bO2 and PTQ-6bO exhibit poorer performances. The presence of an extra carbon in the side chain of PTQ-6bO2 improves its PCE due to enhanced aggregation properties and solid-state morphology.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhenrong Jia, Qing Ma, Zeng Chen, Lei Meng, Nakul Jain, Indunil Angunawela, Shucheng Qin, Xiaolei Kong, Xiaojun Li, Yang (Michael) Yang, Haiming Zhu, Harald Ade, Feng Gao, Yongfang Li
Summary: Reducing energy loss of sub-cells is critical for high performance tandem organic solar cells. Here, the authors design and synthesize an ultra-narrow bandgap acceptor through replacement of terminal thiophene by selenophene in the central fused ring, achieving efficiency of 19% for tandem cells.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Melodi Charles, Brianne Edwards, Eshwar Ravishankar, John Calero, Reece Henry, Jeromy Rech, Carole Saravitz, Wei You, Harald Ade, Brendan O'Connor, Heike Sederoff
Summary: The integration of semi-transparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) in greenhouses provides new opportunities for sustainable food production. The absorption/transmission spectra of ST-OSCs impact power generation and crop growth, development, and responses to the environment. Lettuce and tomato grown under different ST-OSC filters showed that lettuce yield and early tomato development were not negatively affected by the modified light environment. Genomic analysis revealed beneficial traits in lettuce production and impact on flowering initiation in tomato. This suggests that ST-OSCs in greenhouses are a promising technology for sustainable crop production with benefits beyond energy considerations.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Zhengxing Peng, Natalie Stingelin, Harald Ade, Jasper J. J. Michels
Summary: In the past 30 years, research in organic electronics has made progress in understanding the relationship between structure, processing, and performance. However, the development of new materials and device fabrication still relies on time-consuming trial-and-error procedures, especially when blends are used. This review provides a concise and accessible overview of the thermodynamic and kinetic principles relevant to processing, active layer morphology, and stability of organic electronic devices based on blends, using illustrative examples from organic photovoltaics.
NATURE REVIEWS MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Beibei Qiu, Jing Lai, Jun Yuan, Yingping Zou, Yongfang Li
Summary: With the development of narrow-bandgap A-D-A and A-DA'D-A-type small-molecule acceptors (SMAs), polymer solar cells (PSCs) have achieved significant progress, reaching an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 20%. To realize the future commercial application of organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology, the development of more efficient organic conjugated materials is urgently needed. The random copolymerization strategy has received great attention and played a vital role in the development of PSCs due to its advantages in precisely adjusting the optoelectronic materials. This review briefly discusses the functions of the random copolymerization strategy in modulating the polymer properties and presents the recent research progress of this strategy in PSCs. Furthermore, it provides perspectives and a concise outlook on the further advancement of the random copolymerization strategy.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiangxi Wu, Xin Jiang, Xiaojun Li, Jinyuan Zhang, Kan Ding, Hongmei Zhuo, Jing Guo, Jing Li, Lei Meng, Harald Ade, Yongfang Li
Summary: By introducing a phenyl end group in the inner side chains, the morphology and photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells processed by nonhalogenated solvents can be improved.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Akash Singh, Yongshin Kim, Reece Henry, Harald Ade, David B. Mitzi
Summary: This study reports the glass formation and kinetic properties of low-melting-temperature 1-MeHa(2)PbI(4) perovskite. The slight loss of organic and hydrogen iodide components helps stabilize the glassy state, and the fast crystal growth rate shows potential for extended applications.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Siwei Luo, Chao Li, Jianquan Zhang, Xinhui Zou, Heng Zhao, Kan Ding, Hui Huang, Jiali Song, Jicheng Yi, Han Yu, Kam Sing Wong, Guangye Zhang, Harald Ade, Wei Ma, Huawei Hu, Yanming Sun, He Yan
Summary: This study developed an auxiliary sequential deposition method combined with a branched-chain-engineered acceptor, achieving 19% efficiency organic solar cells processed by halogen free solvents. By optimizing the blend morphology, this method promotes charge generation and suppresses charge recombination.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Abdullah Al Shafe, Harry M. Schrickx, Kan Ding, Harald Ade, Brendan T. O'Connor
Summary: The addition of a thermoplastic elastomer (SEBS) in organic solar cells (OSC) can improve the mechanical strength without significantly decreasing the conversion efficiency. The optimal SEBS concentration for the best fracture energy and power conversion efficiency is found to be 5-10 wt %. This study provides a framework for optimizing elastomer addition in OSCs for improved performance and toughness.
ACS ENERGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhengxing Peng, Harald Ade
Summary: It has been reported that conjugated polymer:small molecule systems may exhibit complex phase behavior, but it was unclear if the observations were reflecting equilibrium. To study this, the liquidus and binodal for the same systems were presented, and it was found that the observed trends of the binodal were consistent with the liquidus, suggesting a thermodynamic cause behind the complex phase behavior. Additionally, a linear relationship between the composition difference (Delta phi) and the binodal composition (phi(b,polymer)) was discovered, providing a new approach for obtaining the crystalline-amorphous interaction parameter.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhen Wang, Zhengxing Peng, Nrup Balar, Harald Ade
Summary: This study reveals the rapid degradation and aging issue of inks prepared via thermal and mechanical agitation at room temperature and develops an approach to slow down the aging process by adding high miscibility additives. The additives act as co-solvents to prevent the pre-aggregation of polymers and maintain electron percolation, benefiting charge creation and collection. This synergistic approach promotes the scale-up of ink-processed organic solar cells.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhifang Du, Hoang Mai Luong, Sina Sabury, Pattarawadee Therdkatanyuphong, Sangmin Chae, Claire Welton, Austin L. Jones, Junxiang Zhang, Zhengxing Peng, Ziyue Zhu, Sadisha Nanayakkara, Veaceslav Coropceanu, Dylan G. Choi, Steven Xiao, Ahra Yi, Hyo Jung Kim, Jean-Luc Bredas, Harald Ade, G. N. Manjunatha Reddy, Seth R. Marder, John R. Reynolds, Thuc-Quyen Nguyen
Summary: We investigate the use of molecular acceptors and donor polymers processed with a biomass-derived solvent to achieve high power conversion efficiency in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics. Our results demonstrate that the favorable intermixing of the donor and acceptor materials in the best performing BHJ film leads to improved charge generation and extraction, while also limiting trap-assisted recombination. This research provides valuable insights for the development of efficient organic photovoltaic devices.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ho Ming Ng, Chung Hang Kwok, Zhenyu Qi, Zhen Wang, Li Chen, Wei Liu, Wenchao Zhao, Harald Ade, Chen Zhang, He Yan, Han Yu
Summary: In this study, a novel Y-series small molecule acceptor was developed by adopting benzoselenadiazole as the central core and introducing alkoxy side chains on the beta-position of thiophene moieties. The introduction of alkoxy side chains led to upshifted energy levels and optimized morphology, leading to improved power conversion efficiency.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
