Recent Progress and Challenges toward Highly Stable Nonfullerene Acceptor-Based Organic Solar Cells

Organic solar cells (OSCs) based on nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) have made significant breakthrough in their device performance, now achieving a power conversion efficiency of approximate to 18% for single junction devices, driven by the rapid development in their molecular design and device engineering in recent years. However, achieving long-term stability remains a major challenge to overcome for their commercialization, due in large part to the current lack of understanding of their degradation mechanisms as well as the design rules for enhancing their stability. In this review, the recent progress in understanding the degradation mechanisms and enhancing the stability of high performance NFA-based OSCs is a specific focus. First, an overview of the recent advances in the molecular design and device engineering of several classes of high performance NFA-based OSCs for various targeted applications is provided, before presenting a critical review of the different degradation mechanisms identified through photochemical-, photo-, and morphological degradation pathways. Potential strategies to address these degradation mechanisms for further stability enhancement, from molecular design, interfacial engineering, and morphology control perspectives, are also discussed. Finally, an outlook is given highlighting the remaining key challenges toward achieving the long-term stability of NFA-OSCs.

Automated summary

While organic solar cells based on nonfullerene acceptors have achieved significant breakthroughs in their device performance, achieving long-term stability remains a major challenge for commercialization due to the lack of understanding of their degradation mechanisms and design rules for enhancing stability.