To date, organic solar cells (OSCs) with the development of photovoltaic materials have realized high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) through the solution processing strategy with bulk heterojunction (BHJ) structure, but the BHJ morphology is difficult to control in large-scale fabrication of OSCs. Herein, we report an alternative film-forming technology known as layer-bylayer (LbL). As compared to its BHJ counterpart, LbL presents many unique advantages including controllable ''p-i-n'' morphology, good charge transport and extraction properties, and great universality. By using the LbL-bladed coating strategy, a high PCE of 16.35% was achieved in the PM6:Y6 OSCs. Notably, a large-area solar module of 11.52 cm 2 with a geometrical fill factor of over 90% exhibited an outstanding PCE of 11.86%, which represents the highest efficiency of large-area solar modules. The results may pave the way for the fabrication of the photoactive layer in the future industrial production of OSCs.

The thermal stability of organic solar cells is critical for practical applications of this emerging technology. Thus, effective approaches and strategies need to be found to alleviate their inherent thermal instability. Here, we show a polymer acceptor-doping general strategy and report a thermally stable bulk heterojunction photovoltaic system, which exhibits an improved power conversion efficiency of 15.10%. Supported by statistical analyses of device degradation data, and morphological characteristics and physical mechanisms study, this polymer-doping blend shows a longer lifetime, nearly keeping its efficiency (t = 800 h) under accelerated aging tests at 150 o C. Further analysis of the degradation behaviors indicates a bright future of this system in outer space applications. Notably, the use of polymer acceptor as a dual function additive in the other four photovoltaic systems was also confirmed, demonstrating the good generality of this polymer-doping strategy.

Rational material design and additive selection boost the longevity of high-efficiency non-fullerene solar cells against photo-oxidation.

This article analyzes and discusses a multi-objective optimization-based layer-by-layer blade-coating approach, which provides a new technology choice for large-scale manufacturing of organic solar cells.

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A series of novel, dense, and interesting ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC)/fused silica composites with different carbon contents has been prepared by a controllable but simple sol‐gel method followed by hot‐pressing. In the as‐sintered OMC/fused silica composites the carbon particles still exist in the form of perfectly ordered carbon nanowires. Conductivity measurements on the composites indicate that these novel composites are electrically conductive and have a typical percolation threshold of 3.5–5 vol% OMC. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding efficiency (SE) of an OMC/fused silica composite containing 10 vol% OMC is as high as 40 dB in the X band which is higher than that of a carbon nanotube (CNT)/ fused silica composite with the same carbon content (∼30 dB). This indicates that these conductive OMC/fused silica composites are very suitable for an application as EMI shielding materials. Upon increasing the volume content of OMC in the composite the overall contribution as well as the increase rate of the microwave absorption are larger than those of the microwave reflection, which suggest that OMC/fused silica composites may also be promising electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing materials. Based on the promising properties of these composites this work will hopefully lead to the development of new low‐cost and highly efficient EMI shielding or EM wave absorbing materials.

In this work, an efficiency of 15.17% in the PBDB‐T/PYT all‐PSCs fabricated by a layer‐by‐layer (LbL) deposition technique is achieved by synergistically controlling additive dosages, which is not only higher than that (14.06%) of the corresponding bulk heterojunction (BHJ) device, but also the top efficient for all‐PSCs. Through the studies of physical dynamics and morphological characteristics, it is found that the LbL film can effectively improve optical and electronic properties, ensure exciton separation, charge generation and extraction, reduce trap‐assisted recombination, and facilitate hole transfer in LbL blends, thus achieving higher performance compared to its BHJ counterpart. Notably, the synergistic regulation of additive dosages in donor and acceptor solutions is also confirmed in the other three photovoltaic systems. Of particular note is that over 15% device performance is also achieved in the PBDB‐T/PYT LbL all‐PSCs fabricated via a blade‐coating technique, further demonstrating the great significance of this synergistic additive‐doping strategy for the printing fabrication of organic photovoltaics.

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have become a potential candidate for clean and renewable photovoltaic productions. This work examines the current cost drivers and potential avenues to reduce costs for organic solar modules by constructing a comprehensive bottom‐up cost model. The direct manufacturing cost (MC) and the minimum sustainable price (MSP) for an opaque single solar module (SSM) (MC = 187 ¥ m−2, MSP = 297 ¥ m−2) and for a tandem solar module (MC = 224 ¥ m−2, MSP = 438 ¥ m−2) are analyzed in detail. Within this calculation, the most expensive layers and processing steps are identified and highlighted. Importantly, the low levelized cost of energy (LCOE) value for an SSM with a 10% power conversion efficiency in a 20‐year range from 0.185 to 0.486 ¥ kWh−1, with a national average of 0.324 ¥ kWh−1 in China under an average solar irradiance of 1200 kWh m−2 year−1. Moreover, the impact on the cost of alternative materials and constructions, process throughputs, module efficiency, and module lifetime, etc., is presented and avenues to further reduce the MSP and LCOE values are indicated. The analysis shows that OPVs can emerge as a competitive alternative to established power generation technologies if the remaining issues (e.g., active layer material cost, module efficiency, and lifetime) can be resolved.