Conjugated oligomers and polymers with a donor-acceptor architecture have shown great promising in the design of both p-type and n-type organic semiconductors for highly efficient polymer solar cells. We have synthesized a series of new D-A copolymer semiconductors based on thiazolothiazole or benzobisthiazole building blocks and found them to be excellent p-type materials in polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells with high power conversion efficiency (5-6%). Towards air-stable organic solar cells, we have also developed a series of new oligothiophene-functionalized naphthalene diimide (NDI) molecules that function as efficient acceptor materials in BHJ polymer solar cells. BHJ solar cells based on P3HT/NDI blends showed one of the highest photovoltaic efficiencies achieved to date in non-fullerene polymer solar cells. Our results show that donor-acceptor architecture is a powerful means of tuning the light harvesting, charge transport, morphology, and photovoltaic properties of organic semiconductors and achievement of highly efficient polymer solar cells.

New donor-acceptor organic semiconductors for efficient polymer solar cells

244th National Meeting (2012)

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