Semitransparent organic photovoltaics with wide geographical adaptability as sustainable smart windows

Jiangsheng Yu, Jihong Pu, Dongsheng Xie, Zhenhai Ai, Yongwen Lang, Menghua Cao, Chunhui Duan (), Lin Lu () and Gang Li ()
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Jiangsheng Yu: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Photonic Research Institute (PRI), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Jihong Pu: Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dongsheng Xie: Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Energy & Information Polymer Materials, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology
Zhenhai Ai: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Photonic Research Institute (PRI), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Yongwen Lang: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Photonic Research Institute (PRI), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Menghua Cao: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Photonic Research Institute (PRI), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Chunhui Duan: Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Energy & Information Polymer Materials, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology
Lin Lu: Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Gang Li: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Photonic Research Institute (PRI), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Semitransparent organic photovoltaics (ST-OPVs) have gained significant attention due to their rapid iteration of high-efficiency photoactive materials and potential applications in building-integrated photovoltaics as smart windows. In this work, we establish a parameter (FoMLUE) to evaluate the potential of photoactive materials for ST-OPVs, combining average visual transmittance, bandgap, and current density. PBOF and eC9 exhibit the highest FoMLUE values of 0.084 and 0.161 for the investigated donors and acceptors, respectively. We achieve a light utilization efficiency of 6.05% as the figure of merit for all semitransparent solar cells. The derived ST-OPV exhibits enhanced thermal insulation and operational stability compared to its counterpart. The geographical analysis indicates that the hot summer/warm winter zone is the most suitable for ST-OPV glazing windows, delivering an annual total energy-saving of 1.43 GJ m-2. Our results demonstrate the multifunctionality and geographical factors of ST-OPVs for constructing sustainable energy-saving smart windows.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62546-8

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