Water-Processed Organic Solar Cell with Efficiency Exceeding 11%

Water processing is an ideal strategy for the ecofriendly fabrication of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and exhibits a strong market-driven demand. Here, we report a state-of-the-art active material, namely PM6:BTP-eC9, for the synthesis of water-borne nanoparticle (NP) dispersion towards ecofriendly OPV fabrication. The surfactant-stripping technique, combined with a poloxamer, facilitates purification and eliminates excess surfactant in water-dispersed organic semiconducting NPs. The introduction of 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) for the synthesis of surfactant-stripped NP (ssNP) further promotes a percolated microstructure of the polymer and NFA in each ssNP, yielding water-processed OPVs with a record efficiency of over 11%. The use of an additive during water-borne ssNP synthesis is a promising strategy for morphology optimization in NP OPVs. It is believed that the findings in this work will engender more research interest and effort relating to water-processing in preparation of the industrial production of OPVs.

Automated summary

This study reports a state-of-the-art active material for the synthesis of water-borne nanoparticle dispersion, achieving ecofriendly fabrication of organic photovoltaics. By introducing 1,8-diiodooctane, the morphology of the nanoparticles was optimized, leading to a record efficiency of over 11% for water-processed OPVs. This research is of great importance for the industrial production of photovoltaic materials.