Carbazole-based conjugated polymers with enhanced UV hardness: promising electron donor materials for stable organic solar cells

Guided by the previously discovered relationships between the molecular structure of the conjugated polymers and their photostability, herein, we have successfully designed and synthesized new conjugated polymers incorporating thiophene, 2,1,3-benzotriazole and carbazole units employing the Stille coupling. The polymers exhibited record-high stability under UV light exposure, outperforming a well-known and fairly stable benchmark material, PCDTBT. The presented novel materials can be promising electron-donor components for the new generation of organic solar cells fitting the ‘golden triangle’, <em>i.e</em>., showing high efficiency, long operational lifetimes, and low cost of the used raw materials.