journal article·2026-01Open access

Unraveling Cross‐Scale Fluorination Mechanisms in Non‐Fullerene Acceptors for High‐Efficiency Organic Photovoltaics

Xingpeng Liu, Zemin He, Huan Wang, Kuan Yang, Yutong Zhang, Yan Zhang, Ziqi Geng, Mingzhi Duan, Bin Tang, Jingming Xin, Bei Qin, Qiuju Liang, Jiangang Liu

Advanced Functional Materials· Volume 36· Issue 9

Abstract

Abstract While fluorination strategy has advanced non‐fullerene acceptor (NFA) development, current structure–property correlations remain largely empirical, lacking mechanistic bridges across molecular, mesoscopic, and device scales. Through multiscale analysis of Y‐series molecules with and without fluorine atoms, a comprehensive understanding of fluorine‐induced optoelectronic enhancement spanning quantum, morphology, and device scales is established for the first time. Take Y5 and Y6 for instance, first‐principles calculations demonstrate that Y6's fluorination‐induced π‐conjugation compaction simultaneously suppresses vibrational relaxation, amplifying exciton dissociation driving forces. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal the enhanced coplanarity of Y6 lowers reorganization energy while boosting intermolecular transfer integrals, synergistically enabling superior charge transport. Crucially, in situ analysis uncovers PM6/Y6 systems undergo crystallization‐induced phase separation kinetics with accelerated nucleation rates and prolonged crystal growth, ultimately forming 3D percolation networks with optimal domain sizes and improved crystalline matching degree. These advantages culminate in balanced charge transport and efficient exciton dissociation, achieving dramatic PCE enhancement from 8.23% to 18.12%. Critically, the fluorination strategy demonstrates universal applicability, validated by 4.3‐fold efficiency gains in PM6/Y18 (fluorinated, 18.51%) versus PM6/Y16 (non‐fluorinated, 4.31%), and consistent high‐performance across PM6/Y6‐BO (18.05%), PM6/N3 (18.24%), and PM6/L8‐BO (19.20%) fluorinated systems. This work provides a hierarchical design framework for rational molecular engineering of high‐performance OPVs.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics · Fullerene Chemistry and Applications · Green IT and Sustainability

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Electronics and Information Northwestern Polytechnical University Xi'an 710129 China

Technological Institute of Materials & Energy Science (TIMES) School of Electronic Information Xijing University Xi'an 710123 China

College of Pharmacy Xi'an Medical University Xi'an Shaanxi 710021 China

School of Microelectronics Northwestern Polytechnical University Xi'an 710129 China

Institute for Frontier Materials Deakin University Geelong VIC 3216 Australia

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities · Aeronautical Science Foundation of China · Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi Province

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