Non-fullerene acceptors based on fused-ring oligomers for efficient polymer solar cells: Via complementary light-absorption

Article abstract of DOI:10.1039/c7ta06631g

We designed and synthesized two novel non-fullerene small molecule acceptors (IDT-N and IDT-T-N) that consist of indacenodithiophene (IDT) as the electron-donating core and 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalen-1-ylidene)malononitrile (N) as a novel electron-withdrawing end group. IDT-N and IDT-T-N consisting of the naphthyl-based N group exhibited an expanded plane compared to phenyl-based indanone (INCN), which strengthened the intramolecular push-pull effect between the core donor unit and the terminal acceptor units. This strengthened effect resulted in a reduced bandgap that was beneficial for solar photon collection and increased short-circuit current density of the resulting devices. IDT-N and IDT-T-N exhibited red-shifted absorptions and smaller optical bandgaps than the corresponding phenyl-fused indanone end-capped chromophores. Both acceptors exhibited broad absorptions and energy levels that were well-matched with the donor materials. Polymer solar cells based on IDT-N and IDT-T-N and two representative polymer donors (PTB7-Th and PBDB-T) exhibited impressive photovoltaic performances. The devices based on the PBDB-T:IDT-N system exhibited a power conversion efficiency of up to 9.0%, with a short-circuit current density of 15.88 mA cm^-2 and a fill factor of 71.91%. These results demonstrate that IDT-N and IDT-T-N are promising electron acceptors for use in polymer solar cells.

Full text of DOI:10.1039/c7ta06631g

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ISSN 2050-7488
PAPER
Kun Chang, Zhaorong Chang et al.
Bubble-template-assisted synthesis of hollow fullerene-like
MoS2 nanocages as a lithium ion battery anode material
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Non-fullerene acceptors based on fused-ring oligomers for
efficient polymer solar cells via complementary light-absorption
Renlong Li,‡ Gongchu Liu,‡ Manjun Xiao, Xiye Yang, Xiang Liu, Zhenfeng Wang, Lei Ying,* Fei
Huang,* and Yong Cao
Received 00th January 20xx,
Accepted 00th January 20xx
DOI: 10.1039/x0xx00000x
We designed and synthesized two novel non-fullerene small molecule acceptors (IDT-N and IDT-T-N) that consist of
indacenodithiophene (IDT) as the electron-donating core and the 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalen-1-
ylidene)malononitrile (N) as a novel electron-withdrawing end group. The IDT-N and IDT-T-N consisting of the naphthyl-
based (N) group exhibited expanded plane regarding to the phenyl-based indanone (INCN), which strengthened the
intramolecular push-pull effect between the core donor unit and the terminal acceptor units. This strengthened effect
resulted in a reduced bandgap that was beneficial for solar photon collection and increased short-circuit current density of
the resulting devices. IDT-N and IDT-T-N exhibited red-shifted absorptions and smaller optical bandgaps than the
corresponding phenyl-fused indanone end-capped chromophores. Both acceptors exhibited broad absorptions and energy
levels that were well-matched with the donor materials. Polymer solar cells based on the IDT-N and IDT-T-N and two
representative polymer donors (PTB7-Th and PBDB-T) exhibited impressive photovoltaic performances. The devices based
on the PBDB-T:IDT-N system exhibited a power conversion efficiency of up to 9.0%, with a short-circuit current density of
15.88 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 71.91%. These results demonstrate that IDT-N and IDT-T-N are promising electron
acceptors for use in polymer solar cells.
www.rsc.org/
range of energy levels and can be synthesized easily and cost-
effectively.21-26 Moreover, small-molecule acceptors possess well-
defined molecular weights and molecular structures and can be
obtained at high purities without variation between batches.27-39 By
rational optimization of the electron-donating polymers and NFAs, a
variety of high-performance non-fullerene PSCs have been
developed with PCEs higher than 12%.32, 40
Introduction
Over the past two decades, polymer solar cells (PSCs) have emerged
as promising candidates for solar energy collection. PSCs are
typically lightweight, inexpensive, flexible, and can be fabricated
using roll-to-roll coating techniques.1-5 Fullerene and its derivatives
have been widely used as acceptors in PSCs because of their high
electron transport capacities, high electron affinities, and ability to
form suitable forms with donor materials in bulk heterojunction
(BHJ) solar cells.6-10 Power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of greater
than 11% have been achieved in devices based on fullerene
derivatives, owing to the rapid development of polymeric donor
materials.11-16 However, the limitations of fullerene materials, such
as the high costs of synthesis and purification, low absorption
coefficients in the visible light region, and strong aggregation
(resulting in poor stability), have impeded the further development
of PSCs. To address these issues, polymeric and small-molecule
non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) have been incorporated into PSCs.17-
Typically, small molecular acceptors have acceptor-donor-
acceptor (A-D-A)–type molecular structures. For instance, recently
emerged and extensively used high-performance NFAs (such as ITIC
and its derivatives) contain an electron-rich indacenodithiophene
44-46
(IDT)41-43 or indacenodithieno[3,2-b]thiophene (IDTT)27,
core
and are capped with strong electron-withdrawing groups (such as
phenyl-fused indanone, INCN). These NFAs typically exhibit strong
absorption from 600 to 800 nm. Thus, if incorporated into PSCs,
these NFAs hinder the effective harvest of photons because of the
significant overlap between their absorption spectra and those of
narrow-bandgap electron-donating polymers. To achieve
complementary absorption in the photoactive layer, chemical
modification of the core, side chains, and end-capping groups of the
acceptors has been attempted to enhance the intramolecular
20
NFAs typically exhibit strong and broad absorption and a wide
charge transfer (ICT) effect.47-56
A series of acceptors with
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer
Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology,
absorption bands broadened by introducing electron-deficient
moieties have been reported and shown to enhance the harvest of
solar energy when incorporated into PSCs.50-53 Overall, these
reports suggest that enhancing the electron-withdrawing properties
of the terminal groups could extend the absorption spectra of
small-molecule acceptors. Thus, it is necessary to develop novel
Guangzhou 510640, P. R. China.
msfhuang@scut.edu.cn;
*E-mail: msleiying@scut.edu.cn, E-mail:
†Electronic
10.1039/x0xx00000x
‡ These authors contributed equally to this work.
Supplementary
Information
(ESI)
available.
See
DOI:
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strong electron-withdrawing groups to produce new NFAs with and the complementary absorption profiles of the materials in the
extended absorption profiles. Although the effects of introducing BHJ layer.
Scheme 1 Device architecture of non-fullerene PSCs used in the present study, and molecular structures of the donors,
acceptors, and interfacial material used in the present work.
electron-accepting moieties into end-groups such as INCN have
been extensively studied, less attention has been devoted to
2. Results and discussion
investigating the terminal groups on the optical bandgap of
2.1. Material synthesis and characterization
chromophores.
As shown in scheme 2, IDT-N and IDT-T-N were synthesized via
Considering that increasing the accepting strength of the end-
multistep reactions using 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic anhydride as
groups can also enhance the ICT effect, resulting in red-shifted
absorption spectra;57 thus, in this study, we designed and
the starting material. First, 1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalene-1,3(2H)-
dione (2) was prepared in a 50% yield using a previously reported
method.58 The electron-withdrawing moiety 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-
synthesized two novel NFAs, IDT-N and IDT-T-N, which incorporate
the
electron-withdrawing
moiety
2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-
1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalen-1-ylidene)malononitrile (N) was then
synthesized (yield of 50%) by combining 2 with malononitrile in
absolute ethanol at room temperature, with anhydrous sodium
acetate as a catalyst. The IDT-T-CHO intermediate was obtained
through a Stille coupling reaction using Pd(PPh3)4 as the catalyst
according to a previously reported procedure.41 Finally, IDT-N and
IDT-T-N were obtained via Knoevenagel condensation reactions of
the intermediate compounds (IDT-CHO and IDT-T-CHO) and the
electron-withdrawing (N) in 75% and 84% yields, respectively. The
target NFAs were characterized by matrix-assisted laser
desorption/ionization time of flight mass (MALDI-TOF MS) and 1H
and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Both
NFAs exhibited good solubility in common organic solvents, such as
chloroform and o-dichlorobenzene. The thermal characteristics of
the NFAs were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in a
nitrogen atmosphere (Fig. S1, ESI†). IDT-N and IDT-T-N exhibited
good thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures (Td, 5%
weight loss) of 381°C and 344°C, respectively.
cyclopenta[b]naphthalen-1-ylidene)malononitrile (N) as the end-
group and IDT as the electron-donating core unit. The electron-
deficient (N) group exhibits expanded plane regarding to the
phenyl-based indanone (INCN) and thus may enhance the
intramolecular push-pull effect between the central IDT unit and
the terminal acceptor unit. This may result in a reduced bandgap,
thereby enhancing the light harvesting capability of PSCs and
increasing the short-circuit current density (JSC). IDT-T-N has a
similar structure to IDT-N, with the addition of 3-(2-
ethylhexyl)thiophene (T) linkers between IDT and electron-deficient
(N) group. Both acceptors are typical low-bandgap acceptors and
exhibit strong and broad absorption in the visible region and an
optical bandgap of about 1.5 eV. IDT-N and IDT-T-N exhibit red-
shifted absorption spectra and lower energy levels than those of
IDT-IC48 and IEIC41, respectively, which can be attributed to the
enhanced electron-withdrawing properties of the naphthyl-fsused
indanone end-groups. PSCs fabricated using either PTB7-Th or
PBDB-T as the electron-donating polymer and IDT-N or IDT-T-N as
the acceptor exhibited impressive PCEs up to 9.0%. These results 2.2. Theoretical calculations
were attributable to the enhanced absorption of the novel NFAs
2 | J. Name., 2012, 00, 1-3
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NC
O
O
CN
N
N
(1) EAA, Ac2O, TEA, 65oC
(2) HCl, reflux
O
EtOH, NaOAc
O
O
O
2
1
N
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
C2H5
C4H9
S
Br
O
Pd(PPh3)4
S
S
S
O
Sn
+
Sn
O
S
S
S
PhMe, 110 o
C
C4H9
C2H5
C4H9
C2H5
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
4
3
IDT-T-CHO
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
O
S
NC
CN
O
S
S
O
NC
S
CN
O
C6H13
CN
C6H13
CN
C6H13
C6H13
CHCl3, Pyridine
65 oC, overnight
IDT-CHO
+
IDT-N
O
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
N
C2H5
C2H5
C4H9
C4H9
O
NC
CN
S
S
S
S
O
O
S
S
S
S
NC
O
CN
C4H9
C4H9
C2H5
C2H5
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
C6H13
IDT-T-CHO
IDT-T-N
Scheme 2 Synthetic routes for IDT-N and IDT-T-N.
To reveal the relationships between the geometric and electronic summarized in Table 1. The maximum absorption peaks (λmax) of
properties of IDT-N and IDT-T-N, their optimal ground state IDT-N and IDT-T-N in chloroform are located at 687 and 734 nm,
geometries were determined by density functional theory (DFT) respectively. The λmax peaks of IDT-N and IDT-T-N films are located
calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. These calculations were at 727 and 755 nm, respectively. IDT-T-N exhibits a red-shifted λmax
conducted using Gaussian 09 software. As shown in Fig. 1, the and a smaller optical bandgap, compared with IDT-N, because of
highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest the increased conjugation length of the core. In chloroform solution,
unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) are delocalized across the the IDT-N spectrum exhibits shoulder absorption at 632 nm; the
backbone, which correlates with the highly coplanar backbones of spectrum of IDT-T-N only has a single main absorption peak, which
IDT-N and IDT-T-N. The torsion angles of the optimized geometries suggests that IDT-N has a more planar structure than IDT-T-N. This
of IDT-N and IDT-T-N were determined to be 0.99° and 19.85°, finding is consistent with the simulated molecular structure
respectively. This indicates that IDT-N has a highly planar structure estimated by DFT.
that may facilitate π-electron delocalization and enhance charge
In addition, the absorption spectra of IDT-N and IDT-T-N as thin
mobility. It is also worth noting that the larger torsion angle of IDT- films are slightly red-shifted compared to the corresponding
T-N may hinder π-electron delocalization and decrease charge solution spectra, which can be attributed to the strong π–π
mobility.
intermolecular interactions in thin films. The absorption peaks of
IDT-N are red-shifted by 41 nm in solution and 46 nm in film relative
to those of IDT-IC48 (in which IC is electron-withdrawing capping
unit); this corresponds with the slightly higher absorption
coefficient of IDT-N (1.53 × 105 M−1 cm-1) relative to that of IDT-IC
(1.40 × 105 M−1 cm−1). Moreover, the absorption peaks of IDT-T-N
2.3. Optical and electrochemical properties
The normalized ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectra of
IDT-N and IDT-T-N in chloroform solution and as thin films are
shown in Fig. 2a and 2b, respectively. The corresponding data are
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Fig. 1 Geometry of the optimized structures and frontier molecular orbitals of (a) IDT-N and (b) IDT-T-N, as determined by DFT
calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d, p) level.
are red-shifted (by 62 nm in solution and 33 nm in film) relative to
IDT-N
IDT-N
IDT-T-N
(a)
(b)
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
IDT-T-N
PTB7-Th
PBDB-T
those of IEIC, and these species have similar absorption coefficients
(1.03 × 105 M−1 cm−1 and 1.1 × 105 M−1 cm−1). It is also worth noting
that, in film state, the absorption coefficient of IDT-N (1.49×105 cm-1)
is much stronger than that of IDT-IC (1.01×105 cm-1), while the
absorption coefficient of IDT-T-N (0.76×105 cm-1) is comparable to
that of IEIC (0.62×105 cm-1)(Fig.S4 and Table S2, ESI†). This trend is
consistent with that observed from the chloroform solution. The
difference in absorption coefficient of two systems might be
originated from the molecular geometry. As the torsion angles of
the central IDT unit with the end-group is relatively small for IDT-N
(0.99o) and much larger for IDT-T-N (18.95o), it seems reasonable
that the end-groups will have more pronounced intra-molecular
charge transfer effects for IDT-N/IDT-IC. The red-shifted absorption
and high absorption coefficients of IDT-N and IDT-T-N are favorable
for harvesting solar photons and therefore resulting in high current
densities in PSCs. The optical bandgaps of IDT-N and IDT-T-N are
1.66 and 1.52 eV, respectively, which were calculated according to
the absorption edges of the thin films (784 and 854 nm,
respectively).
320 400 480 560 640 720 800 880
Wavelength (nm)
320 400 480 560 640 720 800 880 960
Wavelength (nm)
(c)
IDT-N
IDT-T-N
(d)
-3.0
-3.5
-4.0
-4.5
-5.0
-3.53
-3.64
-4.06
-4.08
-4.18
-5.47
-4.6
Ag
-4.7
-5.10
-5.22
-5.33
-5.73
-5.5
-6.0
-5.58
-1.5 -1 -0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
Potential (V) vs. Ag/AgNO3
Fig. 2 Optical and electrochemical characterization of IDT-
N and IDT-T-N: UV–Vis absorption spectra of the acceptors
in (a) chloroform solution and (b) the acceptors and
donors (PTB7-Th, PBDB-T) as films; (c) cyclic voltammetry
(CV) curves; and (d) energy level diagram.
The frontier molecular orbital energy levels of IDT-N and IDT-
T-N were estimated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) with
ferrocene/ferrocenium (Fc/Fc+) as the reference (Fig. 2c). The
HOMO and LUMO levels were calculated relative to the onsets of
the oxidation and reduction potentials according to the following
equations: HOMO = –e [Eox – E (Fc/Fc+) + 4.8] (eV) and LUMO = –e
[Ered – E (Fc/Fc+) + 4.8] (eV), where Eox and Ered are the onsets of
oxidation and reduction, respectively. The potential of the Fc/Fc+
redox couple was surveyed at 0.2 V relative to an Ag/Ag+ reference
electrode. The CV parameters are summarized in Table 1. The
HOMO/LUMO levels of IDT-N and IDT-T-N are –5.74/–4.08 and –
5.58/–4.06 eV, respectively, which correspond to electrochemical
bandgaps (Egcv) of 1.66 and 1.52 eV. IDT-T-N has an elevated LUMO
level compared to IDT-N because of its greater conjugation length.
This will result in a higher VOC when paired with suitable donor
materials. The LUMO gaps between PBDB-T and IDT-N or IDT-T-N
are 0.55 and 0.53 eV, respectively, which ensure efficient exciton
dissociation. However, because of the expanded plane of the
electron-withdrawing moiety (N), the LUMO levels of IDT-N and
IDT-T-N are lower than those of IDT-IC and IEIC, which may result in
lower VOC values. The energy levels of the PSCs are shown in Fig. 2d;
the work functions of the ITO and Ag electrodes, and the HOMO
and LUMO levels of PBDB-T, PTB7-Th, and the interlayer material
(PNDIT-F3N-Br) were obtained from previous reports.48, 59-61
2.4. Photovoltaic properties
To investigate the photovoltaic properties of IDT-N and IDT-T-N,
PSCs were fabricated in
a conventional device configuration:
ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layer/PNDIT-F3N-Br/Ag, in which PNDIT-F3N-
Br functioned as the cathode interlayer to facilitate the electron
extraction from the active layer (Scheme 1). The active layer was
composed of either a narrow bandgap polymer (PTB7-Th) or a wide
bandgap polymer (PBDB-T), which acted as the electron donor
material; either IDT-N or IDT-T-N was used as the electron-
accepting material. The current density–voltage (J–V) curves of the
studied devices are shown in Fig. 3a, and the corresponding
photovoltaic parameters are summarized in Table 2. The
optimization of the PSCs, including the donor:acceptor ratios and
4 | J. Name., 2012, 00, 1-3
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Table 1 Optical and electrochemical properties of the two acceptors IDT-N and IDT-T-N.
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ARTICLE
UV-vis in solution a
UV-vis as thin films b
CV d
λmax/nm
687
λonset/nm
λmax/nm
727
λonset/nm Egopt c/eV
HOMO/eV
-5.74
LUMO/eV
-4.08
Egcv e/eV
1.66
IDT-N
725
812
784
854
1.58
1.45
IDT-T-N
734
755
-5.58
-4.06
1.52
a In chloroform solution with concentration about 10−5 M. b Films were spin-coated onto a quartz plate from 10 mg mL−1
.
chloroform solution. c Egopt = 1240/λonset d Calculated HOMO/LUMO energy levels. e Egcv = LUMO – HOMO.
5
Table 2 Photovoltaic parameters of the PSCs based on PTB7-Th or
PBDB-T as donors and IDT-N or IDT-T-N as acceptors under AM 1.5
G illumination at 100 mW cm−2
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N (0.25 %CN)
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
(a)
(b)
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N (0.25 %CN)
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (2 %CN)
0
-5
.
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (2 %CN)
Active layer
Voc
Jsc
FF
PCE
(%)
3.2a
6.3a
5.5
6.6
6.9
9.0
5.4
7.4
CN (vol%)
additive
-10
-15
(V)
(mA cm-2) (%)
PTB7-Th:IDT-IC
PTB7-Th:IEIC
w/o
w/o
w/o
2 %
0.83
0.97
0.73
0.87
0.78
0.79
0.92
0.94
9.53
40.0
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Wavelength (nm)
13.55
13.02
14.67
14.89
15.88
12.97
14.03
48.0
Voltage(V)
PTB7-Th:IDT-N
PTB7-Th:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
57.70
51.38
59.12
71.91
44.79
56.11
Fig. 3 (a) J–V curves and (b) EQE spectra of devices based on
PBDB-T:IDT-N, and PBDB-T:IDT-T-N devices with or without CN.
w/o
0.25 %
w/o
2 %
the effects of solvent additives, are summarized in Table S3 and
Table S4 (ESI†).
The as-cast device based on PTB7-Th:IDT-N exhibited a PCE of
5.5%, which is higher than previously reported devices based on
PTB7-Th:IDT-IC (3.2%). The enhanced PCE correlates to the
increased JSC (from 9.53 to 13.02 mA cm−2), which was attributed to
the red-shifted and better-matched absorption of IDT-N. The
devices based on PTB7-Th:IDT-T-N exhibited a PCE of 6.6%, which is
higher than that of reported devices based on PTB7-Th:IEIC (6.3%)41
Devices based on PBDB-T exhibited better performances than the
PTB7-Th-based PSCs, which can be attributed to the increased VOC
(as a result of the lower HOMO level of PBDB-T) and JSC (because of
beꢀer matched absorpꢁon spectra; Fig. S2, ESI†). The PSCs based
on PBDB-T:IDT-N and PBDB-T:IDT-T-N cast without CN exhibited
PCEs of 6.9% and 5.4%, respectively. Processing with 0.25% CN
improved the PCE of the PBDB-T:IDT-N device from 6.9% to 9.0%;
and the PCE of the PBDB-T:IDT-T-N device increased from 5.4% to
7.4% when processed with 2% CN. Hence, the addition of CN
significantly enhanced photovoltaic performance by virtue of the
enhanced JSC and FF.
a Data from previous reports.41,48
based on IDT-N. However, as VOC correlates with a range of factors
such as charge transfer state, film morphology, tail of density of
state, and so forth, at the current stage it is not clear which is the
dominant factor that determines the loss of VOC. Nevertheless, it is
worth pointing out that the device based on PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
exhibits a relatively small energy losses (Eloss = Eg − eVOC) of 0.51 eV,
which is slightly larger than those for inorganic solar cells (0.35-0.50
eV)62 whilst smaller than the typical values of 0.6-1.0 eV for PSCs.
The external quantum efficiency (EQE) curves of the devices
based on PBDB-T:IDT-N or PBDB-T:IDT-T-N with or without CN are
shown in Fig. 3b. The EQE responses are consistent with the
measured JSC values of the devices. The integrated photocurrents
were 14.52 and 15.17 mA cm−2 for the PBDB-T:IDT-N system
without and with CN additive, respectively, which are very close to
those of 14.89 and 15.88 mA cm−2 obtained from the J–V
characterization, respectively (Table 2). Similarly, the integrated
photocurrents were 12.81 and 13.15 mA cm−2 for the PBDB-T:IDT-T-
N system without and with CN additive, respectively, which are also
close to those of 12.97 and 14.03 mA cm−2 obtained from the J–V
characterization respectively (Table 2). The PBDB-T:IDT-N systems
exhibited a broad photoresponse from 300 to 780 nm with a
maximum value of about 69% at 700 nm. The PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
systems had a broader response, from 300 to 850 nm, with a
maximum value of about 53% at 730 nm. These results are in good
agreement with the UV–Vis absorption spectra of the acceptors and
the PBDB-T donor (Fig. S2, ESI†).
.
For comparison, we also fabricated devices based on IDT-IC or
IEIC as the acceptor and PBDB-T as the donor, with relevant
photovoltaic parameters shown in Table S5 (ESI†, device
architecture: ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layer/PNDIT-F3N-Br/Ag). It is
noted that the PCEs of devices based on PBDB-T:IDT-IC
with/without CN additives are 5.7%/6.8%, and the PCEs of devices
based on PBDB-T:IEIC with/without CN additives are 3.9%/6.9%,
respectively. The higher PCEs of devices IDT-N and IDT-T-N are
mainly due to the higher JSC and FF, which can be attributed to their
extended conjugation of the end-groups. We note that despite such
two acceptors IDT-N and IDT-T-N exhibited similar LUMO energy
level as estimated by CV measurement, the resulting device based
on IDT-T-N exhibited obviously higher VOC than those of device
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Table 3 Electron/hole mobility for PBDB-T:acceptor blend films and processed films, which is consistent with the results of previous
pristine acceptor films.
experiments. These findings indicated that the addition of CN is an
efficient way to improve the morphologies, charge mobilities, and
FF values of blend films.
Film
μe (cm2 V-1 s-1)
1.72 × 10-4
2.87 × 10-4
1.96 × 10-5
6.07 × 10-5
1.09 × 10-4
1.53 × 10-5
μh (cm2 V-1 s-1)
3.76 × 10-4
4.57 × 10-4
5.58 × 10-5
1.43 × 10-4
μh/ μe
2.19
1.59
2.85
2.36
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N (0.25 % CN)
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (2 % CN)
IDT-N
2.5. Charge transfer and recombination
Photoluminescence (PL) measurements of the BHJ films were
performed to monitor charge transfer between the donor and
acceptor materials. The fluorescence spectra of pure IDT-N, IDT-T-N,
and PBDB-T and pristine and optimized PBDB-T:IDT-N and PBDB-
T:IDT-T-N blend films are shown in Fig. 5a and 5b, respectively. The
blend films processed with chloronaphthalene (CN) as a solvent
additive exhibited more effective PL quenching than the pristine
films. This suggests that more effective photoinduced charge
transfer occurred between PBDB-T and the acceptors (IDT-N and
IDT-T-N), in the blend films processed with CN, and nearly all of the
excitons were dissociated. This is beneficial for achieving a higher
JSC in PSCs fabricated from these films.
IDT-T-N
25
120
100
80
(a)
(b)
20
15
60
40
10
20
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N
To understand the charge recombination mechanism of the
studied devices, we investigated the characteristics of JSC and VOC as
a function of light intensity (Plight) that varied from 5 to 100 mW cm-
2. The relevant characteristics are plotted in Fig. 6. The power law
dependence of JSC upon illumination intensity can be expressed as
JSC ∝ (Plight)S. Here S is the exponential factor. It is noted that the JSC
of the fabricated devices increased linearly with Plight (Fig. 6a and b).
The extracted S value slightly increased from 0.975 (without CN) to
0.987 (with CN) for the device based on IDT-N (Fig. 6a), and the S
value also slightly increased from 0.943 (without CN) to 0.969 (with
CN) for the device based on IDT-T-N (Fig. 6b). These results
demonstrate that the bimolecular recombination can be
suppressed in devices processed with CN, which can lead to
improved FF.
PBDB-T:IDT-N (0.25 %CN)
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (2 %CN)
PBDB-T:IDT (0.25 %CN)
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (2 %CN)
0
5
-20
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Vappl-Vbi-Vs (V)
Vappl-Vbi-Vs (V)
Fig. 4 (a) Electron-only and (b) hole-only J1/2–V characteristics
of PBDB-T:IDT-N and PBDB-T:IDT-T-N blend films with or
without CN.
1.2
1
1.2
1
IDT-N
PBDB-T
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N (0.25 %CN)
IDT-T-N
PBDB-T
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (2 %CN)
(a)
(b)
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Moreover, we plotted the VOC as a function of Plight. The slope
of VOC versus the natural logarithm of Plight gives a value of kBT/q,
where kB, T, and q represent the Boltzmann constant, temperature
640 680 720 760 800 840 880
Wavelength (nm)
640 680 720 760 800 840 880
Wavelength (nm)
Fig. 5 PL spectra of thin films: (a) PBDB-T, IDT-N and PBDB-
T:IDT-N (1:1, w/w, without and with 0.25% CN); (b) PBDB-
T, IDT-T-N and PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (1:1, w/w, without and with
2% CN).
100
10
1
100
10
1
(b)
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (2% CN)
(a)
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N (0.25% CN)
α = 0.987
α = 0.975
α = 0.943
α = 0.969
Space-charge limited current (SCLC) methods were used to
evaluate the charge carrier mobilities of the pristine IDT-N and IDT-
T-N films and the PBDB-T:IDT-N and PBDB-T:IDT-T-N blend films
with and without CN. The electron-only and hole-only mobilities
were measured using devices with ITO/Al/BHJ film/Ca/Al and
ITO/PEDOT:PSS/BHJ film/MoO3/Ag architectures, respectively. The
current-voltage (J1/2–V) curves of these devices are shown in Fig. 4
and Fig. S5 (ESI†). The electron mobiliꢁes of the IDT-N and IDT-T-N
films were calculated as 1.09 × 10−4 and 1.53 × 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1
(Table 3), respectively. The addition of CN increased the electron
and hole mobilities of both blend films, which correlates with the
increased JSC values of these devices. Furthermore, the μh/μe ratios
of the blend films processed with CN (1.59 and 2.36 for PBDB-T:IDT-
N and PBDB-T:IDT-T-N, respectively) were found to be lower than
those of the devices processed without CN (2.19 and 2.85,
respectively). The more balanced hole/electron ratios suppressed
bimolecular recombination and increased the FF values of the CN-
0.1
0.1
10
100
10
100
Light intensity (mW cm-1
)
Light intensity (mW cm-1
)
0.8
0.78
0.76
0.74
0.72
0.7
0.98
0.96
0.94
0.92
0.9
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-N (0.25% CN)
(c)
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (2% CN)
(d)
n = 1.12 kBT/q
n = 1.04 kBT/q
n = 1.12 kBT/q
0.88
0.86
0.84
n = 1.15 kBT/q
0.68
0.66
10
100
10
100
Light intensity (mW cm-1
)
Light intensity (mW cm-1
)
Fig. 6 (a), (b) JSC as a function of light intensity and (c), (d) VOC as a
function of light intensity for the devices based on PBDB-T:IDT-N
or PBDB-T:IDT-T-N with or without CN additives, respectively.
6 | J. Name., 2012, 00, 1-3
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ARTICLE
the improved alky side chain stacking. This observation was
consistent with the enhanced photovoltaic performance of devices
processed with CN additives compared with those processed
without CN.
3. Conclusion
Two novel NFAs (IDT-N and IDT-T-N) based on an IDT core end-
capped with the electron-withdrawing moiety 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-
1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalen-1-ylidene)malononitrile (N) were
designed and synthesized. The terminal (N) groups enhanced the
electron acceptance of the NFAs, relative to those terminated with
phenyl-fused indanone moieties. Moreover, IDT-N and IDT-T-N
exhibit red-shifted absorption, deeper LUMO levels, and smaller
bandgaps than IDT-IC and IEIC, respectively. The broadened and
red-shifted optical absorption of the novel NFAs resulted in
improved JSC values for the corresponding PSCs. However, because
of their decreased LUMO energy levels, the VOC values of the PSCs
were relatively low. The devices based on PBDB-T:IDT-N exhibited
the highest measured PCE (9.0%). The devices based on PBDB-
T:IDT-T-N exhibited a moderate PCE of 7.4%. When the narrow
bandgap copolymer PTB7-Th was used as the electron-donating
material, the resulting IDT-N- and IDT-T-N-based PSCs exhibited
higher performances than those based on either IDT-IC or IEIC.
Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that novel small
molecule acceptors are promising candidates as replacements for
fullerene derivatives in PSCs and that the modification of end-group
units is a promising strategy to develop more efficient non-fullerene
acceptors.
Fig. 7 AFM height images (1 × 1 μm) and 2D-GIXD patterns
of PBDB-T:IDT-N (a and c, 0.25% CN) and PBDB-T:IDT-T-N (b
and d, 2% CN) blend films.
(K), and elementary charge, respectively. It is noted that the
extracted slope of IDT-N based device slightly decreased from 1.15
kBT/q (without CN) to 1.12 kBT/q (with CN) (Fig. 6c), and the
extracted slope of IDT-T-N based device also slightly decreased from
1.12 kBT/q (without CN) to 1.04 kBT/q (with CN) (Fig. 6d). Typically,
when the additional mechanism such as trap-assisted
recombination is involved, a stronger dependence of VOC on Plight
with a slope greater than kBT/q can be observed. The obtained
lower slope demonstrates the reduced trap density and suppressed
trap-assisted recombination in the devices processed with CN
additive.
4. Experimental section
4.1. General information
All reactions were carried out under argon atmosphere. All
solvents and reagents were commercially available and used
directly without further purification unless otherwise specified.
Tetrahydrofuran (THF) and toluene (PhMe) were dried from
sodium/benzophenone and freshly distilled before to use.
2.6. Film morphology
The film morphology was investigated by using atomic force
microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and
grazing incidence wide angle X-ray diffraction (GIWAXS). Regarding
to the PBDB-T:IDT-N and PBDB-T:IDT-T-N films (Fig. S6, ESI), the
blend films processed with solvent additive of CN exhibited fibrous
features with slightly larger root-mean-square (RMS) values (Fig. 7a,
b). Additionally, from the TEM images one can note more obvious
phase separation of the CN-processed film than those processed
without additive (Fig. S7, ESI). GIWAXS was used to investigate the
molecular ordering in the neat films as well as the blends. One can
obviously note that both the neat films of IDT-N and IDT-T-N
exhibited strong (010) diffraction peaks in the out-of-plane (OOP)
direction and the corresponding (100) peaks in the in-plane (IP)
direction (Fig S8a, b and g), which indicates the formation of the
predominant “face-on” orientation of these acceptors. For blends,
the (010) reflection peaks located at 1.80 Å−1 in OOP direction and
the corresponding (100) peaks at 0.31 Å−1 in IP direction,
demonstrating that the preferential “face-on” orientation, which is
favorable for vertical charge transportation. It is also worth noting
that the intensity of the (100) peaks at 0.31 Å−1 in OOP direction are
stronger for blends processed with CN additives, which indicates
NMR spectra were recorded with
a 500 MHz NMR
spectrometer for 1H NMR and 125 MHz for 13C NMR with
tetramethylsilane (TMS) as the internal reference. MALDI-TOF-
MS spectra was measured on
a BrukerBIFLEXIII mass
spectrometer. UV-vis spectra was performed by using a HP
8453 spectrophotometer. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA)
o
were recorded on a NETZSCH TG 209 at a heating rate of 10 C
min-1 under a nitrogen flow rate of 20 mL min-1. The
electrochemical cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments were
carried out on
a CHI600D electrochemical workstation
equipped with a ITO working electrode, a platinum wire
counter electrode, a Ag/AgNO3 reference electrodes and a 0.1
mol
L-1
acetonitrile
solution
of
tetrabutylammoniumhexafluorophosphate (n-Bu4NPF6) as the
supporting electrolyte at a scan rate of 100 mV s-1 under a
nitrogen atmosphere. The ferrocene/ferrocenium redox
couple (Fc/Fc+) was used to calibrate the potential of
Ag/AgNO3 reference electrode. The atomic force microscopy
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(AFM) measurements were carried out on a NanoMan VS dichloromethane/petroleum ether (1:1) as an eluent, yielding
1
microscope with a tapping mode. TEM images were obtained an orange solid (395 mg, 70%). H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3, δ):
from a JEM-2100F instrument. The geometry of the acceptors 9.80 (s, 2H), 7.52 (s, 2H), 7.45 (s, 2H), 7.18 (s, 2H), 7.16 (d, J =
were optimized by using Density Functional Theory (DFT) 8.4 Hz, 8H), 7.07 (d, J = 8.4 Hz, 8H), 2.72 (d, J = 8.4 Hz, 4H), 2.56
method at a B3LYP/6-31G(d) level to optimize the ground state (t, J = 8.4 Hz, 8H), 1.67 (m, 2H), 1.60 (m, 8H), 1.29 (m, 40H),
geometries. All the calculations of the acceptor molecules 0.87 (m, 24H).
were performed using the Gaussian 09 package package40, all Synthesis of IDT-N. IDT-CHO (100mg, 0.104mmol), N (126mg,
the straight-chain substituents were replaced with methyl 0.519mmol), chloroform (30 mL), and pyridine (0.5 mL) were
groups and the branched side-chain substituents were added to a two-necked round-bottomed flask, the mixture was
replaced with isopropyl groups for calculations.
deoxygenated with argon for 20 min and then stirred
o
overnight at 65 C. After cooling to room temperature, the
4.2. Synthesis
solvent was removed under vacuum. The crud product was
purified by column chromatography on a silica gel using
dichloromethane as an eluent and then recrystallization from
chloroform/methanol to afford TDT-N as a deep blue solid
Synthesis of compound (2). In a dried two-neck 100 mL flask.
Naphtho[2,3-c]furan-1,3-dione (1) (10 g, 50.5 mmol) was
dissolved in acetic anhydride (30 mL), and triethylamine (20
mL) was added under an argon atmosphere. After stirred for a
while, ethylacetoacetate (19.6 mL, 151.5 mmol) was quickly
1
(110mg, 75%). H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3, δ): 9.19 (s, 2H), 8.97
(s, 2H), 8.36 (s, 2H), 8.07-8.04 (m, 4H), 7.76 (s, 2H), 7.76 (s, 2H),
7.69-7.66 (m, 4H), 7.18-7.13 (m, 16H), 2.61-2.58 (t, J = 7.5 Hz,
8H), 1.64-1.58 (m, 8H), 1.37-1.26 (m, 24H), 0.88-0.86 (t, J =
5Hz, 12H); 13C NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3, δ): 188.28, 160.25,
159.45, 158.23, 156.55, 142.42, 142.08, 140.30, 139.75,
138.82, 137.29, 136.29, 135.42, 134.64, 132.83, 130.68,
130.22, 129.96, 129.69, 128.82, 127.66, 127.03, 124.65,
124.41, 120.15, 115.19, 115.01, 68.09, 63.01, 35.58, 31.72,
31.33, 29.09, 22.60, 14.12. MS (MALDI-TOF) calcd for
C98H86N4O2S2, 1414.6192; found, 1415.241. Anal. calcd for
C98H86N4O2S2: C 83.13, H 6.12, N 3.96, S 4.53; found: C 83.29, H
6.27, N 3.91, S 4.65.
o
added via a syringe and the reaction was stirred at 100 C for
12 h. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature
and poured into HCl (2N) with ice, the resulting yellow
precipitate was collected by filtration and washed with water,
and then the yellow residual dissolved in HCl (5N) was heated
under reflux for 1h. After being cooled to room temperature,
the solid crude product was collected by filtration, washed
with water and then purified by flash chromatography
(CH2Cl2). Yield: 50 %. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3, δ): 8.50 (s, 2H),
8.12-8.10 (m, 2H), 7.74-7.72 (m, 2H), 3.37(s, 2H); 13C NMR (125
MHz, CDCl3, δ): 197.70, 138.17, 136.36, 130.66, 129.72,
124.31, 46.69.
Synthesis of IDT-T-N. The synthetic routes of IDT-T-N are
similar to that of IDT-N. IDT-T-CHO (200mg, 0.148mmol), N
(181mg, 0.741mmol), chloroform (30 mL), and pyridine (1.0
mL) were added to a two-necked round-bottomed flask, the
mixture was deoxygenated with argon for 20 min and then
stirred overnight at 65 oC. After cooling to room temperature,
the solvent was removed under vacuum. The crud product was
purified by column chromatography on a silica gel using
dichloromethane as an eluent and then recrystallization from
chloroform/methanol to afford IDT-T-N as a deep green solid
Synthesis of compound (N). In a dried two-neck 100 mL flask.
1H-Cyclopenta[b]naphthalene-1,3(2H)-dione (2) (2.5g, 12.76
mmol), malononitrile (5.05 g, 76.53 mmol) were dissolved in
ethanol (50 mL), and then anhydrous sodium acetate (4.18 g,
0.51 mmol) was slowly added while stirring. After stirred 2h,
the reaction mixture was poured into ice-water, and acidified
to PH 1-2 by addition of hydrochloric acid. The resulting
precipitate was collected by filtration and washed with water,
the crud product was purified by flash chromatography
(CH2Cl2) and recrystallized from n-hexane to gave the target
product 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalen-1-
1
(224 mg, 84% yield) H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3, δ): 9.16 (s, 2H),
8.84 (s, 2H), 8.36 (s, 2H), 8.07-8.00 (m, 4H), 7. 69-7.65 (m, 4H),
7.61 (s, 2H), 7.52 (s, 2H), 7.50 (s, 2H), 7.22 (d, J =10Hz, 8H),
7.13 (d, J =10Hz, 8H), 2.79 (d, J =10Hz, 4H), 2.60 (t, J =7.5Hz,
8H), 1.79-1.72 (m, 2H), 1.65-1.59 (m, 8H), 1.40-1.26 (m, 40H),
0.89-0.85 (t, J = 5Hz, 24H); 13C NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3, δ):
188.39, 160.29, 157.54, 154.37, 151.01, 149.42, 145.46,
141.98, 141.06, 140.12, 138.08, 137.68, 136.22, 135.37,
134.77, 134.59, 132.85, 130.62, 130.20, 129.82, 129.58,
128.61, 127.89, 126.84, 124.60, 124.48, 124.00, 118.05,
115.32, 115.13, 67.78, 63.17, 39.32, 35.61, 33.83, 32.44, 31.74,
31.38, 29.14, 28.59, 25.67, 23.05, 22.60, 14.13, 14.11, 10.58.
MS (MALDI-TOF) calcd for C122H122N4O2S4, 1802.8451; found,
1803.423. Anal. calcd for C122H122N4O2S4: C 81.00, H 6.81, N
3.10, S 7.11; found: C 80.85, H 6.93, N 2.95, S 7.29.
ylidene)malononitrile (N
). Yield: 50 %. 1H NMR (500 MHz,
CDCl3, δ): 9.18 (s, 1H), 8.49 (s, 1H), 8.17-8.10 (m, 2H), 7.81-7.78
(m, 2H), 3.85(s, 2H); 13C NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3, δ): 187.16,
162.36, 137.27, 136.22, 134.66, 134.05, 129.88, 129.57,
127.78, 127.58, 121.05, 119.94, 119.06, 106.48, 67.49, 25.59.
MS (ESI): calcd for C16H8N2O [M+], 244.1; found: 245.6. Anal.
calcd for C16H8N2O: C 78.68, H 3.30, N 11.47; found: C 78.54, H
3.19, N 11.42.
Synthesis of IDT-T-CHO. To a two-necked round bottom flask
compound 4 (500 mg, 0.41 mmol), compound 5 (345 mg, 1.22
mmol), Pd(PPh3)4 (70 mg, 0.06 mmol) and toluene (50 mL)
were added. The mixture was deoxygenated with nitrogen for
30 min. The mixture was refluxed for 72 h and then was
allowed to cool down to room temperature. After removing
the solvent from the filtrate, the residue was purified using
4.3. Fabrication and characterization of solar cells
All the solar cell devices with a conventional configuration of
ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layer/PNDIT-F3N-Br/Ag were fabricated.
column chromatography on
a
silica gel employing
8 | J. Name., 2012, 00, 1-3
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Firstly, the ITO glass substrates were pre-cleaned sequentially
by using detergent, ethanol, acetone, and isopropyl alcohol
under sonication, and dried in oven at 70 °C for 10 h before to
use. Followed by treating with oxygen plasma for 4 min, the
PEDOT:PSS was spin-coated onto the ITO glass at 3000 rpm for
30 s and then annealed at 150 oC for 10 min in air.
Subsequently, the substrates were transferred into a N2-
protected glove box for spin-coating the active layer. The
donor polymer (PTB7-Th or PBDB-T) and the small molecule
acceptor (IDT-N or IDT-T-N) were dissolved in CHCl3 solution
(with variant blend ratios, the total concentration of the donor
polymer and the acceptor is 10 mg mL-1). The mixed solution
was spin-coated atop the PEDOT:PSS layer at 2000 rpm for 30 s
to form the active layer with a film thicknesses approximately
100 nm. Then, the active layers were treated with thermal
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the Ministry of Science
and Technology of China (No. 2014CB643501), the Natural
Science Foundation of China (No. 91633301, 51673069,
21634004, 21520102006 and 21761132001), Foundation of
Guangzhou Science and Technology Project (201607020010
and 201707020019), and Fundamental Research Funds for the
Central Universities (SCUT).
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4, 1400680.
o
annealing at 100 C for 10 min. Finally, the interface layer (5
nm) of PNDIT-F3N-Br in methanol (0.5mg mL-1) was spin-
coated on the blended films, and then the top electrode silver
(100 nm) was deposited onto the interlayer PNDIT-F3N-Br by
thermal evaporation though a shadow mask in a vacuum
chamber with a base pressure of 1×10-6 mbar. The active layer
area of the device was 0.04 cm2. The current density-voltage
(J-V) characteristics were recorded using
a computer-
controlled Keithley 2400 source meter under an AM 1.5G solar
simulator (Taiwan, Enlitech SS-F5) at an light intensity of 100
mW cm-2, which was tested by a calibrated silicon solar cell
(certified by National Renewable Energy Laboratory) before to
test. The PL spectra and EQE spectra were performed on a
FLS920 spectro-fluorimeter (Edinburgh Instruments) and a
commercial EQE measurement system (Taiwan, Enlitech, QE-R),
respectively.
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The hole-only and electron-only mobilities of PBDB-T:
acceptors blend films and the acceptor neat films were
determined from space-charge-limited current (SCLC) devices.
The devices were fabricated with the structures of ITO/Al/
blend films (or neat film)/Ca/Al for electron-only mobility and
ITO/PEDOT:PSS/blend films (neat film)/MoO3/Ag for hole-only
mobility, respectively. The mobilities were determined by
fitting the dark J–V current to the model of a single carrier
SCLC which were calculated on the basis of the following
equation:
9
ꢄꢅ
ꢆꢇ
ꢀ = εꢁεꢂ μꢃ
8
18 G. Ding, J. Yuan, F. Jin, Y. Zhang, L. Han, X. Ling, H. Zhao and W.
Ma, Nano Energy, 2017, 36, 356.
where J is the current,ε0 and εr are the permittivity of free
space and relative permittivity of the material, respectively.
and μh, V and d are the zero-filed mobility, the effective
voltage, and the thickness of the organic layer, respectively.
The effective voltage can be obtained from the equation V =
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curves.
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 20xx
J. Name., 2013, 00, 1-3 | 9
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Table of Contents Entry
Two new non-fullerene acceptors with expanded end-groups were developed, which
present improved power conversion efficiency up to 9.0%.
5
0
PBDB-T:IDT-N
PBDB-T:IDT-T-N
-5
-10
-15
PCE = 7.4 %
PCE = 9.0 %
-0.2
0
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Voltage(V)
1