Central‐Core Cycloalkane Modified Nonfullerene Acceptors Reduce Energy Loss for 20.2% Efficiency in Organic Solar Cells

In recent years, power conversion efficiency (PCE) has exceeded 21% in organic solar cells (OSCs), thanks to the ongoing innovation of molecular design and device engineering. Among them, central‐core engineering is a key strategy for optimizing nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) to reduce energy loss and enhance charge transport in OSCs. In this work, two novel quinoxaline (Qx)‐series NFAs, Qx‐CHX and Qx‐CP, are designed and synthesized by incorporating a rigid, nonaromatic cycloalkane (cyclohexane and cyclopentane) into the central core, respectively. The theoretical calculations and experiments indicate that, due to the smaller steric hindrance, a more planar molecular backbone, and better donor–acceptor miscibility, the D18:Qx‐CP‐based devices exhibit superior crystallinity and optimal phase separation, delivering a champion PCE of 18.75% with a low energy loss of 0.48 eV. In comparison, the Qx‐CHX‐based devices achieve a higher open‐circuit voltage ( V OC ) of 0.905 V and a PCE of 18.02%. Notably, using Qx‐CP as a guest acceptor in the D18:BTP‐eC9 system further boosts the PCE to 20.25% with significantly enhanced short‐circuit current ( J SC ) and fill factor (FF). This work highlights central‐core modification as an effective approach for high‐performance OSCs.

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Publication Details

Journal
Solar RRL
Published
2026-08-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.70455
Primary Topic
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
Type
article
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article

Central‐Core Cycloalkane Modified Nonfullerene Acceptors Reduce Energy Loss for 20.2% Efficiency in Organic Solar Cells

Ailing Tang, Kun Lü, Jianqi Zhang, Dingding Qiu et al.
Solar RRL
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
article

Central‐Core Cycloalkane Modified Nonfullerene Acceptors Reduce Energy Loss for 20.2% Efficiency in Organic Solar Cells

Ailing Tang, Kun Lü, Jianqi Zhang, Dingding Qiu, Hao Zhang, Honglei Zhan, Huijuan Bi
article en

Abstract

In recent years, power conversion efficiency (PCE) has exceeded 21% in organic solar cells (OSCs), thanks to the ongoing innovation of molecular design and device engineering. Among them, central‐core engineering is a key strategy for optimizing nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) to reduce energy loss and enhance charge transport in OSCs. In this work, two novel quinoxaline (Qx)‐series NFAs, Qx‐CHX and Qx‐CP, are designed and synthesized by incorporating a rigid, nonaromatic cycloalkane (cyclohexane and cyclopentane) into the central core, respectively. The theoretical calculations and experiments indicate that, due to the smaller steric hindrance, a more planar molecular backbone, and better donor–acceptor miscibility, the D18:Qx‐CP‐based devices exhibit superior crystallinity and optimal phase separation, delivering a champion PCE of 18.75% with a low energy loss of 0.48 eV. In comparison, the Qx‐CHX‐based devices achieve a higher open‐circuit voltage ( V OC ) of 0.905 V and a PCE of 18.02%. Notably, using Qx‐CP as a guest acceptor in the D18:BTP‐eC9 system further boosts the PCE to 20.25% with significantly enhanced short‐circuit current ( J SC ) and fill factor (FF). This work highlights central‐core modification as an effective approach for high‐performance OSCs.

Solar RRLVol. 10(16)
China University of Petroleum, Beijing (CN), National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
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