journal article·2026-01

Stress‐Dissipative Network Design Unlocks Stretchy All‐Polymer Photovoltaics with Record Mechanical Robustness

Bing Sun, Xin Li, Wenchao Zhao, Kai Zhang, Saimeng Li, Chunlong Sun, Vakhobjon Kuvondikov, Sherzod Nematov, Menglan Lv, Long Ye

Advanced Functional Materials· Volume 36· Issue 6
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Intrinsically stretchy all‐polymer solar cells (IS‐APSCs) offer potential for wearable and conformable energy‐harvesting devices but remain considerable distant from commercial adoption. Recently, thermoplastic elastomers have emerged as effective additives to enhance the intrinsic stretchability and mechanical resilience of organic photovoltaics. However, the underlying mechanisms by which elastomers influence the physical characteristics of stretchy photovoltaics remain underexplored. Here, this dilemma is uncovered through leveraging advanced Infrared Nanospectroscopy analysis and X‐ray scattering characterizations, revealing crucial insights that significantly retain the photovoltaic performance of IS‐APSCs. Medium molecular weight elastomeric additives are identified to form stress‐dissipative networks at relatively low concentrations, providing the most effective mechanical reinforcement and enabling the highest efficiency in IS‐APSCs. They possess high performance retention after hundreds of stretching cycles, significantly outperforming lower/higher molecular weight analogs. For the first time, finite element analysis are shown to accurately capture the tensile behavior of these blend films, in excellent agreement with experimental observations. Furthermore, the elastic modulus of the blend films, comprising elastomeric additives of varying molecular weights and conjugated polymers, closely follows theoretical predictions from the Coran‐Patel model. By bridging polymer physics, mechanical modeling, and device engineering, this work will aid in designing high‐efficiency stretchy photovoltaic devices.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics · Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Conducting polymers and applications

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

Affiliations

School of Materials Science and Engineering State key Laboratory of Advanced Materials for Intelligent Sensing Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits Ministry of Education Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering Tianjin University Tianjin 300072 China

Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources College of Materials Science and Engineering Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing 210037 China

Institute of Ion‐Plasma and Laser Technologies Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences 33, Durmon yuli Tashkent 100125 Uzbekistan

Karshi State Technical University 225 Mustakillik Karshi 180100 Uzbekistan

Engineering Research Center for Energy Conversion and Storage Technology of Guizhou School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guizhou University Guiyang 550025 China

Hubei Longzhong Laboratory Xiangyang 441000 China

Funding

Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Tianjin Municipality · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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