With power conversion efficiencies for organic solar cells exceeding 17 %, the importance of developing and understanding scalable systems has never been more important. Here, we discuss two families of polymers that can be synthesized in large batches and built into relatively thick film devices. We have previously reported on random terpolymer derivatives of highly aggregated PffBT4T-2OD (PCE11) that maintain solid state performance with PC<sub>71</sub>BM while improving processability. The work presented here expands the scope of that work with a comparison of spin coating and blade coating as well as the use of the non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) IDTBR. We identify a reduction in polymer crystallinity when it is blended with crystalline IDTBR relative to the PC<sub>71</sub>BM blend, which may establish design rules for donor polymers targeted for NFA blends. We have also investigated a relatively inexpensive polymer; PTQ10 paired with the NFA Y6. PTQ10 is a polymer with a simple and potentially scalable structure, and it forms a broadly absorbing blend with the low bandgap molecule Y6. We demonstrate high power conversion efficiencies of over 15% with a broad range of active layer thicknesses, in part resulting from minimal electric field dependence of the charge carrier mobility. Good thickness tolerance and facile synthesis lead to a blend system that is inherently suitable for scalable processing.

Blade coating high performance polymer solar cells with scalable systems

ACS Fall 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.