Backbone Twisting and Terminal Overlapping via π‐Bridge Engineering for Highly Efficient Non‐Fused Ring Electron Acceptors with Balanced <i>J</i><sub>SC</sub>‐<i>V</i><sub>OC</sub>

Abstract High and balanced open‐circuit voltage ( V OC ) and short‐circuit current density ( J SC ) are crucial for the efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs). Generally, the π‐bridge strategy serving as an effective molecular functionalization route with the potential to balance the V OC ‐ J SC pair. Herein, the study designs and synthesizes three non‐fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs): 2T‐T‐EH , 2T‐T‐2EH , and 2T‐TT‐2EH , by systematically regulating the π‐bridge at size, number, and position of the lateral alkyl chains. Introducing inner alkyl side chains result in twisted backbones, which elevated the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels, and reduced energy loss, facilitating a higher V OC . Single crystal analysis also reveals that the π‐extending in 2T‐TT‐2EH can effectively relieve the congestion of dual lateral chains, leave more space for the terminal overlapping, which promotes efficient charge transport and enhancing J SC . Consequently, a compromise between V OC (0.916 V) and J SC (21.21 mA cm −2 ) is accomplished in the binary OSCs. The elevated LUMO energy level and V OC provides 2T‐TT‐2EH to serve as a third component in ternary OSCs, achieving an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.07% in the D18:BTP‐eC9‐4F: 2T‐TT‐2EH ‐based device. These findings in this study suggest that fine‐tuning the π‐bridges is a simple method for optimizing photovoltaic performance in NFREAs, ensuring a well‐balanced V OC and J SC .

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2025-02-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202423242
Citations
26
Primary Topic
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
18.99

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article

Backbone Twisting and Terminal Overlapping via π‐Bridge Engineering for Highly Efficient Non‐Fused Ring Electron Acceptors with Balanced JSC‐VOC

Shijin Yuan, Ningfang Zhang, Kexin Zhao, Zaifei Ma et al.
26 citations
Advanced Functional Materials
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
18.99
article

Backbone Twisting and Terminal Overlapping via π‐Bridge Engineering for Highly Efficient Non‐Fused Ring Electron Acceptors with Balanced JSC‐VOC

Shijin Yuan, Ningfang Zhang, Kexin Zhao, Zaifei Ma, Guanghao Lu, Jinsheng Song, Shuaishuai Shen, Yu Chen, Hao Lu, Feixiang Zhao, Bin Hu, Zhishan Bo, Qi Dong, Wenjun Zhang
article en
26 citations

Abstract

Abstract High and balanced open‐circuit voltage ( V OC ) and short‐circuit current density ( J SC ) are crucial for the efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs). Generally, the π‐bridge strategy serving as an effective molecular functionalization route with the potential to balance the V OC ‐ J SC pair. Herein, the study designs and synthesizes three non‐fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs): 2T‐T‐EH , 2T‐T‐2EH , and 2T‐TT‐2EH , by systematically regulating the π‐bridge at size, number, and position of the lateral alkyl chains. Introducing inner alkyl side chains result in twisted backbones, which elevated the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels, and reduced energy loss, facilitating a higher V OC . Single crystal analysis also reveals that the π‐extending in 2T‐TT‐2EH can effectively relieve the congestion of dual lateral chains, leave more space for the terminal overlapping, which promotes efficient charge transport and enhancing J SC . Consequently, a compromise between V OC (0.916 V) and J SC (21.21 mA cm −2 ) is accomplished in the binary OSCs. The elevated LUMO energy level and V OC provides 2T‐TT‐2EH to serve as a third component in ternary OSCs, achieving an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.07% in the D18:BTP‐eC9‐4F: 2T‐TT‐2EH ‐based device. These findings in this study suggest that fine‐tuning the π‐bridges is a simple method for optimizing photovoltaic performance in NFREAs, ensuring a well‐balanced V OC and J SC .

Advanced Functional MaterialsVol. 35(27)
Qingdao University (CN), Henan University (CN), Donghua University (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Institute of High Energy Physics (CN), Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
18.99
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