Tuning polymer-backbone coplanarity and conformational order to achieve high-performance printed all-polymer solar cells

Yilei Wu, Yue Yuan, Diego Sorbelli, Christina Cheng, Lukas Michalek, Hao-Wen Cheng, Vishal Jindal, Song Zhang, Garrett LeCroy, Enrique D. Gomez, Scott T. Milner, Alberto Salleo, Giulia Galli, John B. Asbury, Michael F. Toney and Zhenan Bao ()
Additional contact information
Yilei Wu: Stanford University
Yue Yuan: The Pennsylvania State University
Diego Sorbelli: University of Chicago
Christina Cheng: Stanford University
Lukas Michalek: Stanford University
Hao-Wen Cheng: Stanford University
Vishal Jindal: The Pennsylvania State University
Song Zhang: Stanford University
Garrett LeCroy: Stanford University
Enrique D. Gomez: The Pennsylvania State University
Scott T. Milner: The Pennsylvania State University
Alberto Salleo: Stanford University
Giulia Galli: University of Chicago
John B. Asbury: The Pennsylvania State University
Michael F. Toney: University of Colorado Boulder
Zhenan Bao: Stanford University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract All-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) offer improved morphological and mechanical stability compared with those containing small-molecule-acceptors (SMAs). They can be processed with a broader range of conditions, making them desirable for printing techniques. In this study, we report a high-performance polymer acceptor design based on bithiazole linker (PY-BTz) that are on par with SMAs. We demonstrate that bithiazole induces a more coplanar and ordered conformation compared to bithiophene due to the synergistic effect of non-covalent backbone planarization and reduced steric encumbrances. As a result, PY-BTz shows a significantly higher efficiency of 16.4% in comparison to the polymer acceptors based on commonly used thiophene-based linkers (i.e., PY-2T, 9.8%). Detailed analyses reveal that this improvement is associated with enhanced conjugation along the backbone and closer interchain π-stacking, resulting in higher charge mobilities, suppressed charge recombination, and reduced energetic disorder. Remarkably, an efficiency of 14.7% is realized for all-PSCs that are solution-sheared in ambient conditions, which is among the highest for devices prepared under conditions relevant to scalable printing techniques. This work uncovers a strategy for promoting backbone conjugation and planarization in emerging polymer acceptors that can lead to superior all-PSCs.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46493-4

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