Asymmetric Π-Bridge Engineering Enables High-Permittivity Benzo[1,2-B:4,5-b′]Difuran-Conjugated Polymer for Efficient Organic Solar Cells

Organic solar cells (OSCs) exhibit complex charge dynamics, which are closely correlated with the dielectric constant (epsilon(r)) of photovoltaic materials. In this work, a series of novel conjugated copolymers based on benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b ']difuran (BDF) and benzotriazole (BTz) is designed and synthesized, which differ by the nature of pi-bridge from one another. The PBDF-TF-BTz with asymmetric furan and thiophene pi-bridge demonstrates a larger epsilon(r) of 4.22 than PBDF-dT-BTz with symmetric thiophene pi-bridge (3.15) and PBDF-dF-BTz with symmetric furan pi-bridge (3.90). The PBDF-TF-BTz also offers more favorable molecular packing and appropriate miscibility with non-fullerene acceptor Y6 than its counterparts. The corresponding PBDF-TF-BTz:Y6 OSCs display efficient exciton dissociation, fast charge transport and collection, and reduced charge recombination, eventually leading to a power conversion efficiency of 17.01%. When introducing a fullerene derivative (PCBO-12) as a third component, the PBDF-TF-BTz:Y6:PCBO-12 OSCs yield a remarkable FF of 80.11% with a high efficiency of 18.10%, the highest value among all reported BDF-polymer-based OSCs. This work provides an effective approach to developing high-permittivity photovoltaic materials, showcasing PBDF-TF-BTz as a promising polymer donor for constructing high-performance OSCs.

Automated summary

This study presents the design and synthesis of novel conjugated copolymers with different π-bridge nature to enhance the dielectric constant of photovoltaic materials. The resulting organic solar cells exhibit efficient charge dynamics and high power conversion efficiencies.