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Title: A low-bandgap dimeric porphyrin molecule for 10% efficiency solar cells with small photon energy loss

Abstract

Dimeric porphyrin molecules have great potential as donor materials for high performance bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs). Recently reported dimeric porphyrins bridged by ethynylenes showed power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of more than 8%. In this study, we design and synthesize a new conjugated dimeric D–A porphyrin ZnP2BT-RH, in which the two porphyrin units are linked by an electron accepting benzothiadiazole (BT) unit. The introduction of the BT unit enhances the electron delocalization, resulting in a lower highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level and an increased molar extinction coefficient in the near-infrared (NIR) region. The bulk heterojunction solar cells with ZnP2BT-RH as the donor material exhibit a high PCE of up to 10% with a low energy loss (Eloss) of only 0.56 eV. Finally, the 10% PCE is the highest for porphyrin-based OSCs with a conventional structure, and this Eloss is also the smallest among those reported for small molecule-based OSCs with a PCE higher than 10% to date.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1]
  1. South China Univ. of Technology, Guangzhou (China)
  2. Shanghai Jiaotong Univ. (China)
  3. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22), Scientific User Facilities Division (SC-22.3); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); National Key Research and Development Program of China; International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of China; US Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR)
OSTI Identifier:
1599784
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231; 51773065; 51473053; 2017YFA0206602; 2013DFG52740; N00014-15-1-2244
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Materials Chemistry. A
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal Issue: 38; Journal ID: ISSN 2050-7488
Publisher:
Royal Society of Chemistry
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; dimeric porphyrin; organic solar cells; small photo energy loss; solvent vapor annealing

Citation Formats

Xiao, Liangang, Lai, Tianqi, Liu, Xiang, Liu, Feng, Russell, Thomas P., Liu, Yi, Huang, Fei, Peng, Xiaobin, and Cao, Yong. A low-bandgap dimeric porphyrin molecule for 10% efficiency solar cells with small photon energy loss. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1039/c8ta05903a.
Xiao, Liangang, Lai, Tianqi, Liu, Xiang, Liu, Feng, Russell, Thomas P., Liu, Yi, Huang, Fei, Peng, Xiaobin, & Cao, Yong. A low-bandgap dimeric porphyrin molecule for 10% efficiency solar cells with small photon energy loss. United States. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ta05903a
Xiao, Liangang, Lai, Tianqi, Liu, Xiang, Liu, Feng, Russell, Thomas P., Liu, Yi, Huang, Fei, Peng, Xiaobin, and Cao, Yong. Thu . "A low-bandgap dimeric porphyrin molecule for 10% efficiency solar cells with small photon energy loss". United States. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ta05903a. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1599784.
@article{osti_1599784,
title = {A low-bandgap dimeric porphyrin molecule for 10% efficiency solar cells with small photon energy loss},
author = {Xiao, Liangang and Lai, Tianqi and Liu, Xiang and Liu, Feng and Russell, Thomas P. and Liu, Yi and Huang, Fei and Peng, Xiaobin and Cao, Yong},
abstractNote = {Dimeric porphyrin molecules have great potential as donor materials for high performance bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs). Recently reported dimeric porphyrins bridged by ethynylenes showed power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of more than 8%. In this study, we design and synthesize a new conjugated dimeric D–A porphyrin ZnP2BT-RH, in which the two porphyrin units are linked by an electron accepting benzothiadiazole (BT) unit. The introduction of the BT unit enhances the electron delocalization, resulting in a lower highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level and an increased molar extinction coefficient in the near-infrared (NIR) region. The bulk heterojunction solar cells with ZnP2BT-RH as the donor material exhibit a high PCE of up to 10% with a low energy loss (Eloss) of only 0.56 eV. Finally, the 10% PCE is the highest for porphyrin-based OSCs with a conventional structure, and this Eloss is also the smallest among those reported for small molecule-based OSCs with a PCE higher than 10% to date.},
doi = {10.1039/c8ta05903a},
journal = {Journal of Materials Chemistry. A},
number = 38,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jul 26 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Thu Jul 26 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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