journal article·2025-11Open access

Ternary Strategy and Molecular Electrostatics Collaboratively Optimize Low‐Molecular‐Weight Polymer Donor Organic Solar Cells: Over 20% Efficiency and High Scalability

Yaxin Yang, Lu Wei, Lingling Zhan, Yuhao Liu, Hongyang Lu, Xiaoling Wu, Adiljan Wupur, Tianyi Chen, Jinyang Yu, Xiaokang Sun, Hanlin Hu, Rui Sun, Jie Min, Yongmin Luo, Jiaying Wu, Weifei Fu, Shouchun Yin, Hongzheng Chen

Advanced Materials· Volume 37· Issue 44

Abstract

Abstract Achieving consistent performance across polymer donor batches is crucial for the commercialization of organic solar cells (OSCs). Compared with high‐molecular‐weight PM6 (HWPM6), low‐molecular‐weight PM6 (LWPM6) has lower efficiency but better stress‐dispersion characteristics and solution‐processability, making its performance improvement vital for practical applications. Here, LWPM6‐based OSCs are optimized by introducing a trimeric guest (TYT‐S). TYT‐S improves PM6:Y6 compatibility, achieving a finer phase separation and a favorable interpenetrating network morphology. A ternary strategy, leveraging molecular electrostatic potential differences, promotes LWPM6 pre‐aggregation, extends film‐formation time, and enhances molecular ordering. The LWPM6‐based ternary system exhibits an optimized vertical phase distribution, with maximum exciton dissociation occurring near the cathode, resulting in a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.23% (LWPM6‐based binary with a low PCE of 17.35%). When BTP‐eC9 replaces Y6, the LWPM6‐based ternary devices achieve a PCE of 20.12% (LWPM6‐based binary with a low PCE of 17.64%). Additionally, LW polymers can dissipate stress via segmental motion. After 3000 bending cycles, LWPM6‐based flexible devices retain higher initial efficiency than HWPM6‐based one, demonstrating better mechanical stability. In mini‐modules, they also have good solution‐processability. This work demonstrates that a trimer guest strategy can significantly enhance the photovoltaic performance of low‐efficiency LWPM6, offering new insights for OSCs commercialization.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics · Perovskite Materials and Applications · Conducting polymers and applications

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

Affiliations

Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Materials Technology of Ministry of Education College of Material Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 311121 P. R. China

State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China

Hoffmann Institute of Advanced Materials Shenzhen Polytechnic University Shenzhen 518055 P. R. China

The Institute for Advanced Studies Wuhan University Wuhan 430072 P. R. China

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) Function Hub Advanced Materials Thrust, Nansha Guangzhou 511400 P. R. China

Zhejiang University‐Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center Hangzhou 311200 P. R. China

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province · National Natural Science Foundation of China · Hangzhou Normal University

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