Improved performance for polymer solar cells though photon energy harvesting and down-conversion of Eu-induced diblock polymer aggregates (EIPAs)

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. C, Materials for optical and electronic devices Materials for optical and electronic devices, 2023-09, Vol.11 (37), p.1273-12739
• Main Authors: Long, Zaixin, Li, Shuxin, Shen, Wenfei, Li, Tonghui, Wang, Yao, Guo, Shuhan, Kipper, Matt J, Snow, Christopher Davis, Belfiore, Laurence A, Tang, Jianguo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2050-7526; 2050-7534
• DOI: 10.1039/d3tc01975f

At present, down-conversion materials and doping active layer materials are effective means to improve the efficiency and stability of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Herein, environmentally friendly and cost-effective Eu 3+ -induced diblock polymer aggregates (EIPAs) were synthesized by the self-assembly method, and these aggregates were doped into the active layer of various non-fullerene systems, which optimized the morphology and effectively increased the ultraviolet light absorption in the range of 300-450 nm and converted into secondary emission in the visible range. Upon optimization, devices featuring PM6:IT-4F doped with a concentration of 0.2 mg mL −1 EIPAs exhibited a remarkable improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability, with a 10.83% increase compared to binary devices, achieving an impressive PCE of 13.82%. This enhanced performance can be attributed to the significant increase in short-circuit current density ( J SC ) and fill factor (FF) observed in the doped devices. Similar observations have been made with other EIPA-doped devices, further demonstrating the versatility of EIPAs in improving the overall device performance of PSCs. Eu 3+ -induced diblock polymer aggregates (EIPAs) were synthesized by self-assembly method and doped into the active layer of various non-fullerene systems to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability of the devices.