All-Polymer Solar Cells Based on a Conjugated Polymer Containing Siloxane-Functionalized Side Chains with Efficiency over 10%

A novel wide-bandgap conjugated copolymer based on an imide-functionalized benzotriazole building block containing a siloxane-terminated side-chain is developed. This copolymer is successfully used to fabricate highly efficient all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) processed at room temperature with the green-solvent 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran. When paired with a naphthalene diimide-based polymer electron-acceptor, the all-PSC exhibits a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.1%, which is the highest value so far reported for an all-PSC. Of particular interest is that the PCE remains 9.4% after thermal annealing at 80 degrees C for 24 h. The resulting high efficiency is attributed to a combination of high and balanced bulky charge carrier mobility, favorable face-on orientation, and high crystallinity. These observations indicate that the resulting copolymer can be a promising candidate toward high-performance all-PSCs for practical applications.