Increasing Charge Carrier Mobility through Modifications of Terminal Groups of Y6: A Theoretical Study

The applications of non-fullerene acceptor Y6 with a new type of A(1)-DA(2)D-A(1) framework and its derivatives have increased the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs) up to 19%. Researchers have made various modifications of the donor unit, central/terminal acceptor unit, and side alkyl chains of Y6 to study the influences on the photovoltaic properties of OSCs based on them. However, up to now, the effect of changes of terminal acceptor parts of Y6 on the photovoltaic properties is not very clear. In the present work, we have designed four new acceptors-Y6-NO2, Y6-IN, Y6-ERHD, and Y6-CAO-with different terminal groups, which possess diverse electron-withdrawing ability. Computed results show that with the enhanced electron-withdrawing ability of the terminal group, the fundamental gaps become lower; thus, the wavelengths of the main absorption peaks of UV-Vis spectra red-shifts and total oscillator strength increase. Simultaneously, the electron mobility of Y6-NO2, Y6-IN, and Y6-CAO is about six, four, and four times faster than that of Y6, respectively. Overall, Y6-NO2 could be a potential NFA because of its longer intramolecular charge-transfer distance, stronger dipole moment, higher averaged ESP, enhanced spectrum, and faster electron mobility. This work provides a guideline for the future research on modification of Y6.

Automated summary

Researchers have designed four new acceptors, Y6-NO2, Y6-IN, Y6-ERHD, and Y6-CAO, with different terminal groups. The results show that with the enhanced electron-withdrawing ability of the terminal group, the fundamental gaps become lower, the wavelengths of the main absorption peaks red-shift, and the total oscillator strength increases. Additionally, the electron mobility of Y6-NO2, Y6-IN, and Y6-CAO is significantly higher than that of Y6.