Acceptor–donor–acceptor (A–D–A) derivatives based on dibenzochrysene

Abstract

Novel non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) derived from vat orange 1 in an A–D–A architecture were synthesized using diphenylamine moieties as solubilizing groups. The optoelectronic properties of these novel NFAs were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy and electrochemistry, and their thermal properties were assessed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The NFAs were tested in organic solar cells (OSC). Two architectures (direct and inverted) of OSC were investigated using poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) for the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blends. Power conversion efficiency (PCE) values of up to 0.4% have been obtained with P3HT in an inverted architecture. Computational chemistry calculations were carried out using three methods—B3LYP, ωB97xD, and HF/PBE0—to evaluate the preferred conjugation axis in dibenzo[b,def]chrysene-based systems, comparing the 2,9-axis (this work) with the previously proposed 7,14-axis, to guide the design of future A–D–A architectures.