Isomerized Green Solid Additive Engineering for Thermally Stable and Eco-Friendly All-Polymer Solar Cells with Approaching 19% Efficiency

Laboratory-scale all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) have exhibited remarkable power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 19%. However, the utilization of hazardous solvents and nonvolatile liquid additives poses challenges for eco-friendly commercialization, resulting in the trade-off between device efficiency and operation stability. Herein, an innovative approach based on isomerized solid additive engineering is proposed, employing volatile dithienothiophene (DTT) isomers to modulate intermolecular interactions and facilitate molecular stacking within the photoactive layers. Through elucidating the underlying principles of the DTT-induced polymer assembly on molecular level, a PCE of 18.72% is achieved for devices processed with environmentally benign solvents, ranking it among the highest record values for eco-friendly all-PSCs. Significantly, such superiorities of the DTT-isomerized strategy afford excellent compatibility with large-area blade-coating techniques, offering a promising pathway for industrial-scale manufacturing of all-PSCs. Moreover, these devices demonstrate enhanced thermal stability with a promising extrapolated T80 lifetime of 14 000 h, further bolstering their potential for sustainable technological advancement. The isomerized solid additive engineering based on volatile dithienothiophene (DTT) isomers is empolyed to achieve a remarkable PCE of 18.72% for all-PSCs processed with green solvent. More importantly, the all-PSCs fabricated with this approach offer excellent compatibility with large-area blade-coating techniques, and demonstrate exceptional thermal stability with extrapolated T80 lifetime of 14 000 h.image

Automated summary

An innovative approach based on isomerized solid additive engineering is proposed to achieve high efficiency and operation stability for eco-friendly all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) using volatile dithienothiophene (DTT) isomers. This method offers compatibility with large-area blade-coating techniques and exceptional thermal stability, demonstrating potential for sustainable technological advancement.