Research progress and application of high efficiency organic solar cells based on benzodithiophene donor materials

Abstract

In recent decades, the demand for clean and renewable energy has grown increasingly urgent due to the irreversible alteration of the global climate change. As a result, organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as a promising alternative to address this issue. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the molecular design strategies of benzodithiophene (BDT)‐based polymer and small molecule donor materials since their birth, focusing on the development of main‐chain engineering, side‐chain engineering and other unique molecular design paths. Up to now, the state‐of‐the‐art power conversion efficiency (PCE) of binary OSCs prepared by BDT‐based donor materials has approached 20%. This work discusses the potential relationship between the molecular changes of donor materials and photoelectric performance in corresponding OSC devices in detail, thereby presenting a rational molecular design guidance for stable and efficient donor materials in future.

Multi‐component Copolymerized Donors enable Frozen Nano‐morphology and Superior Ductility for Efficient Binary Organic Solar Cells

“…[16][17][18][19] Furthermore, multicomponent co-polymerized engineering, which has been proven to be an alternative and effective molecular design method to boost the photoelectric performance in OSC devices, is normally used to constructing (D1-A)-π-(D2-A)-, (D-A1)-π-(D-A2)-, and (D1-A1)-π-(D2-A2)-type MCDs. [20][21][22][23] By precisely controlling the amount and binding location of functional blocks in the molecular structure, the absorbance range, highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level, lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level, and molecular aggregation in target MCDs can be finely tuned. [24,25] It is worth noting that end-capping engineering has been used progressively to design polymer donors.…”