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The two-step layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of donor and acceptor films enables desired vertical phase separation and high performance in organic solar cells (OSCs), which becomes a promising technology for large-scale printing devices. However, limitations including the use of toxic solvents and unpredictable infiltration between donor and acceptor still hinder the commercial production of LBL OSCs. Herein, we developed a water-based nanoparticle (NP) ink containing donor polymer to construct a mesoscale structure that could be infiltrated with an acceptor solution. Using non-halogen o-xylene for acceptor deposition, the LBL strategy with a mesoscale structure delivered outstanding efficiencies of 18.5% for binary PM6:L8-BObased LBL OSCs. Enhanced charge carrier mobility and restricted trap states were observed in the meso-LBL devices with optimized vertical morphology. It is believed that the findings in this work will bring about more research interest and effort on eco-friendly processing in preparation for the industrial production of OSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water processing is an ideal strategy for the ecofriendly fabrication of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and exhibits a strong market−driven demand. Here, we report a state−of−the−art active material, namely PM6:BTP−eC9, for the synthesis of water−borne nanoparticle (NP) dispersion towards ecofriendly OPV fabrication. The surfactant−stripping technique, combined with a poloxamer, facilitates purification and eliminates excess surfactant in water−dispersed organic semiconducting NPs. The introduction of 1,8−diiodooctane (DIO) for the synthesis of surfactant−stripped NP (ssNP) further promotes a percolated microstructure of the polymer and NFA in each ssNP, yielding water−processed OPVs with a record efficiency of over 11%. The use of an additive during water−borne ssNP synthesis is a promising strategy for morphology optimization in NP OPVs. It is believed that the findings in this work will engender more research interest and effort relating to water−processing in preparation of the industrial production of OPVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doctor-blade coating technology is a roll-to-roll compatible high-throughput thin film fabrication route. In this work, doctor-blading was applied for fabricating organic solar cells (OSCs) using a polyoxometalates material phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) as a hole transport layer (HTL). Compared to PEDOT:PSS, PMA-based devices demonstrate lower trap-assisted recombination, higher hole mobility, prolonged charge carrier lifetime and faster charge collection. With PM6:Y6 as active layer, PMA-based device delivered a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.79 % with a boosted short-circuit current density (J SC) value of 28.08 mA/cm2, which is one of the best performances for PM6:Y6-based solar cells through doctor-blading process. In addition, the performance improvement was observed in both conventional and inverted structured devices with various donor: acceptor combinations. These results indicate the high universality of PMA for printable processing and its prospect in preparation of the industrial production of OSCs. [Display omitted] • Phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) was introduced as a hole transport layer (HTL) in organic solar cells (OSCs). • PMA is compatible for both conventional and inverted structured devices. • The blade-coating processed OSCs based on PM6:Y6 achieved a high efficiency of 17.8 %. • One of the highest performance for PM6:Y6-based OSCs through blade-coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ternary and additive strategy, introducing a third component into a binary blend and add suitable additives, opens a simple and promising avenue to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). This study investigates the optimization of OSCs by introducing volatile additives and a third component, L8-BO-X, which tunes the active layer morphology and improves the performance of the devices. Utilizing various characterization techniques, such as the grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS), film-depth-dependent light absorption spectroscopy (FLAS), and the femtosecond-resolved transient absorption (fsTA) spectroscopy, the effects of these adjustment on crystallinity, phase separation, exciton generation, and charge transport in photovoltaic device are explored. The incorporation of the third component and volatile additives results in less anisotropy in molecular orientation and thus faster exciton splitting at the D-A interface, enhanced π-π stacking coherence length and longer exciton lifetime, and eventually an enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.6 % (certified as 19.07 % in the National Institute of Metrology in China) and exceptional photostability, with the devices retaining 82 % efficiency after 1200 hours of continuous light exposure. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]