Dynamic Non‐Covalent Interactions at Oxide–Organic Heterointerfaces Enable Simultaneous Dielectric Enhancement and Mechanical Reinforcement of Organic Photovoltaic Devices and Modules

ABSTRACT Flexible organic photovoltaics (OPVs) demand both high efficiency and mechanical robustness, yet rigid non‐fullerene acceptor blends commonly suffer from an efficiency–mechanics trade‐off. Here, trace Al 2 O 3 nanofillers are incorporated into the PM6:BTP‐eC9 active layer to simultaneously enhance dielectric screening, charge‐transport balance, and mechanical energy dissipation. The nanofillers raise the relative permittivity from 2.48 to 2.78, promote exciton dissociation, suppress bimolecular and trap‐assisted recombination, and improve charge‐transport balance, raising the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 16.1% to 17.0% for flexible devices, while increasing that of the corresponding rigid devices from 19.4% to 20.3%. Variable‐temperature FT‐IR spectroscopy and multiscale simulations provide evidence for thermally responsive and partially reversible interactions between Al 2 O 3 surface hydroxyls and polar moieties in the photoactive matrix, which are consistent with hydrogen bonding. These interactions are proposed to enhance intermolecular cohesion, homogenize stress distribution, and suppress crack initiation and propagation, increasing the crack‐onset strain (COS) from 4.6% to 12.0% and nearly quadrupling toughness. The strategy translates to flexible devices retaining 87.3% of their initial efficiency after 2000 bending cycles, intrinsically stretchable devices retaining 79.0% after 200 cycles at 5% strain, and an 11.4%‐efficient flexible module with a 100 cm 2 footprint and 68 cm 2 effective active area.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2026-11-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.3153458
Primary Topic
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Dynamic Non‐Covalent Interactions at Oxide–Organic Heterointerfaces Enable Simultaneous Dielectric Enhancement and Mechanical Reinforcement of Organic Photovoltaic Devices and Modules

Kai Zhang, Hua Tang, Longbo Luo, Yingyue Hu et al.
2 links
Angewandte Chemie
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
article

Dynamic Non‐Covalent Interactions at Oxide–Organic Heterointerfaces Enable Simultaneous Dielectric Enhancement and Mechanical Reinforcement of Organic Photovoltaic Devices and Modules

Kai Zhang, Hua Tang, Longbo Luo, Yingyue Hu, Pei Cheng, Ayi Bahtiar, Frédéric Laquai, Hongxiang Li, Wang Xiao Yi, Lei Meng, Xiangyang Liu, Jiayu Wang, Jinlong He, Yongfang Li, Jie Xiong, Weilin Zhou, Songtao Wei, Heng Wang, Yakun He, 龚钰扉, Jiayuan Zhu, Luoxi Pei, Cenqi Yan, Qiang Yang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Flexible organic photovoltaics (OPVs) demand both high efficiency and mechanical robustness, yet rigid non‐fullerene acceptor blends commonly suffer from an efficiency–mechanics trade‐off. Here, trace Al 2 O 3 nanofillers are incorporated into the PM6:BTP‐eC9 active layer to simultaneously enhance dielectric screening, charge‐transport balance, and mechanical energy dissipation. The nanofillers raise the relative permittivity from 2.48 to 2.78, promote exciton dissociation, suppress bimolecular and trap‐assisted recombination, and improve charge‐transport balance, raising the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 16.1% to 17.0% for flexible devices, while increasing that of the corresponding rigid devices from 19.4% to 20.3%. Variable‐temperature FT‐IR spectroscopy and multiscale simulations provide evidence for thermally responsive and partially reversible interactions between Al 2 O 3 surface hydroxyls and polar moieties in the photoactive matrix, which are consistent with hydrogen bonding. These interactions are proposed to enhance intermolecular cohesion, homogenize stress distribution, and suppress crack initiation and propagation, increasing the crack‐onset strain (COS) from 4.6% to 12.0% and nearly quadrupling toughness. The strategy translates to flexible devices retaining 87.3% of their initial efficiency after 2000 bending cycles, intrinsically stretchable devices retaining 79.0% after 200 cycles at 5% strain, and an 11.4%‐efficient flexible module with a 100 cm 2 footprint and 68 cm 2 effective active area.

Angewandte Chemie
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Sichuan University (CN), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (CN), Institute of Chemistry (CN), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA), Padjadjaran University (ID)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 26%
Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
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