journal article·2025-02

The Critical Isomerization Effect of Core Bromination on Nonfullerene Acceptors in Achieving High‐Performance Organic Solar Cells with Low Energy Loss

Kerui Liu, Yuanyuan Jiang, Feng Liu, Guangliu Ran, Mengni Wang, Wenxuan Wang, Wenkai Zhang, Zhixiang Wei, Jianhui Hou, Xiaozhang Zhu

Advanced Materials· Volume 37· Issue 7
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Highly efficient nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) for organic solar cells (OSCs) with low energy loss (Eloss) and favorable morphology are critical for breaking the efficiency bottleneck and achieving commercial applications of OSCs. In this work, quinoxaline‐based NFAs are designed and synthesized using a synergistic isomerization and bromination approach. The π‐expanded quinoxaline‐fused core exhibits different bromination sites for isomeric NFAs, namely AQx‐21 and AQx‐22. Theoretical and experimental analyses reveal that the isomerization effect of core bromination significantly influences molecular intrinsic properties, including electrostatic potentials, polarizability, dielectric constant, exciton binding energy, crystallinity, and miscibility with donor materials, thereby improving molecular packing and bulk‐heterojunction morphology. Consequently, the AQx‐22‐based blend exhibits enhanced crystallinity, reduced domain size, and optimized phase distribution, which facilitates charge transport, suppresses charge recombination, and improves charge extraction. The AQx‐22‐treated OSCs obtain an impressive efficiency of 19.5% with a remarkable open‐circuit voltage of 0.970 V and a low Eloss of 0.476 eV. This study provides deep insights into NFA design and elucidates the potential working mechanisms for optimizing morphology and device performance through isomerization engineering of core bromination, highlighting its significance in advancing OSC technology.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics · Conducting polymers and applications · Semiconductor materials and interfaces

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

Affiliations

Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 China

School of Chemical Sciences University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China

Department of Physics and Applied Optics Beijing Area Major Laboratory, Center for Advanced Quantum Studies Beijing Normal University Beijing 100875 China

CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication National Center for Nanoscience and Technology Beijing 100190 China

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality · National Natural Science Foundation of China · National Key Research and Development Program of China · Chinese Academy of Sciences

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