Indoor Single-Component Organic Solar Cells Based on Double-Cable Conjugated Polymers with Pendant A-π-D-π-A Electron Acceptors

Herein, three double-cable conjugated polymers are developed for indoor single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs). The new double-cable conjugated polymers contain pendent nonfused electron acceptors with A-pi-D-pi-A configuration, in which group A uses 1H-indene-1,3(2H)-dione (ID) as an electron-withdrawing end group. The innovative design enables the double-cable polymer to show absorption spectra in the range of 400-700 nm, which is matched with the spectra of indoor light-emitting diode lights. In addition, the ID units at the acceptor side units and the introduction of halogen atoms make the double-cable polymers show high photovoltage (>1.0 V) in SCOSCs. As a result, SCOSCs based on the new double-cable polymers exhibit a high efficiency of 18% under indoor light illumination. The findings present a novel modular design approach for wide-bandgap double-cable conjugated polymers that can be utilized for indoor photovoltaics.

Automated summary

In this study, three double-cable conjugated polymers were developed for indoor single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs). The new polymers have pendent nonfused electron acceptors with A-pi-D-pi-A configuration, using 1H-indene-1,3(2H)-dione (ID) as an electron-withdrawing end group in group A. These polymers show absorption spectra in the range of 400-700 nm, matching the spectra of indoor LED lights. Additionally, the introduction of ID units and halogen atoms enables the polymers to exhibit high photovoltage (>1.0 V) in SCOSCs, resulting in a high efficiency of 18% under indoor light illumination. This research provides a novel modular design approach for wide-bandgap double-cable conjugated polymers that can be used for indoor photovoltaics.