Latest Progress on Photoabsorbent Materials for Multifunctional Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells

Semi-transparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) have revolutionized the field of photovoltaics (PVs) due to their unique abilities, such as transparency and color tunability, and have transformed normal power-harvesting OSC devices into multifunctional devices, such as building-integrated photovoltaics, agrivoltaics, floating photovoltaics, and wearable electronics. Very recently, ST-OSCs have seen remarkable progress, with a rapid increase in power conversion efficiency from below 7% to 12-14%, with an average visible transparency of 9-25%, especially due to the use of low bandgap semiconductors including polymer donors and non-fullerene acceptors that exhibit absorption in the near-infrared region as photoabsorbent materials. From this perspective, the latest developments in ST-OSCs stemming from the innovations in photovoltaic materials that delivered multifunctional ST-OSCs with top-of-the-line power conversion efficiencies are discussed to shed light on the structure-property relationship between molecular design and current challenges in this cutting-edge research field. Finally, personal perspectives, including research directions for the future use of ST-OSCs in multifunctional applications, are also proposed.

Automated summary

Semi-transparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) have shown significant progress recently, with increased power conversion efficiency and average visible transparency, achieved through the use of low bandgap semiconductors. This technology has transformed traditional OSC devices into multifunctional devices, paving the way for future applications in various fields.