Ternary PM6:Y6 Solar Cells with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

An organic solar cell with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in the photoactive layer is typically a type II heterojunction with the semiconducting SWCNTs acting as the electron donor and C-60 or other fullerene derivatives as the acceptor. Herein, the performance of solar cells consisting of (6,5) SWCNTs combined with C-60 and three nonfullerene acceptors is evaluated in a bilayer architecture. SWCNTs are then combined with the donor/acceptor PM6:Y6 in a ternary mixture and both bulk heterojunction and bilayer devices are fabricated. The SWCNTs are found to extend the light absorption of PM6:Y6 solar cells into the infrared but their use must strike a balance between the SWCNT concentration to enhance light absorption and solvent-induced changes to the morphology of the active layer.

Automated summary

An organic solar cell using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as the electron donor and fullerene derivatives as the acceptor is studied. Different combinations of SWCNTs and acceptors, including C-60 and three nonfullerene acceptors, are evaluated in bilayer solar cells. The results show that SWCNTs can extend the light absorption of the solar cells into the infrared region, but their concentration needs to be balanced with the solvent-induced changes to the active layer morphology.