The halogen effect of perylene diimide-based non-fullerene acceptors on photovoltaic properties. (May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zheng, Xiaoyang; Wei, Qingyun; Shan, Tong; Zhang, Yi; Zhong, Hongliang
• Is Part Of: Dyes and pigments. Volume 201(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-05
• Subjects: Organic solar cell -- Non-fullerene acceptor -- Perylene diimide -- Halogenation; Dyes and dyeing -- Periodicals; Pigments -- Periodicals; 667.2
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dyepig.2022.110232
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-7208

Abstract

Abstract: To develop photovoltaic materials based on perylene diimide, two non-fullerene acceptors namely PCPD-F and PCPD-Cl are rationally designed and readily synthesized. By introducing the cyclopentadithiophene unit with the strong electron-donating ability, PCPD-F and PCPD-Cl exhibit strong and bathochromic absorption compared to other perylene diimide derivatives. Meanwhile, different halogens in PCPD-F and PCPD-Cl significantly affect the physicochemical properties and device performance. With the substitution of chlorine atom, PCPD-Cl shows relatively broad absorption and strong crystallinity. However, the chlorination makes PCPD-Cl less miscible with polymer donors, leading to the unfavorable morphology with large-scale phase separation in organic solar cells. Consequently, the device based on PCPD-F achieves the best power conversion efficiency of 9.03% by blending with the polymer donor PM6, which is among the high-performance organic solar cells based on perylene diimide. This work demonstrates it is crucial to meticulously select the substituted atom and position in the design of non-fullerene acceptors. Highlights: Two nonfullerene acceptors based on perylene diimide are rationally designed and facilely synthesized. The effects of halogenation of the acceptor and the donor on photovoltaic performance are investigated. The perylene diimide-based acceptors deliver power conversion efficiencies as high as 9.03% in organic solar cells.