Issue 41, 2019

From fullerene acceptors to non-fullerene acceptors: prospects and challenges in the stability of organic solar cells

Abstract

The recent emergence of non-fullerene small molecule acceptors has reinvigorated the field of organic solar cells, already resulting in significant breakthroughs in their power conversion efficiency and discovery of remarkable new science. The stability and degradation of this class of materials and devices, on the other hand, has to date received relatively less attention. Herein, we present a critical review into the fundamentally different degradation mechanisms of non-fullerene acceptors compared to fullerene acceptors, as well as the very different roles they play upon the charge carrier generation and recombination kinetics and the resulting solar cell stability. We highlight in particular the prospect of the emergence of non-fullerene acceptors in addressing several major degradation mechanisms related to the use of fullerene acceptors, in conjunction with a number of unique degradation mechanisms that only exist in non-fullerene acceptors, which would provide an important guideline for further developments toward achieving long-term stability of organic solar cells.

Graphical abstract: From fullerene acceptors to non-fullerene acceptors: prospects and challenges in the stability of organic solar cells

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
17 Maijs 2019
Accepted
26 Jūn. 2019
First published
26 Jūn. 2019

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019,7, 23361-23377

From fullerene acceptors to non-fullerene acceptors: prospects and challenges in the stability of organic solar cells

E. M. Speller, A. J. Clarke, J. Luke, H. K. H. Lee, J. R. Durrant, N. Li, T. Wang, H. C. Wong, J. Kim, W. C. Tsoi and Z. Li, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 23361 DOI: 10.1039/C9TA05235F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements