Abstract
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) is a promising application for semitransparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs). However, conventional ultra-thin (<80 nm) active layers for ST-OSCs, while balancing transmittance and efficiency, limit the cell-to-module efficiency remaining ratio (CTM) below 56%. Here, we achieve high semitransparency and efficiency in ST-OSCs with reasonable active layer thickness by manipulating the aggregation of acceptors in various donor-diluted blends processed with non-halogen solvent in ambient air. Using PM6:Qx-p-4Cl as a model system, we elucidate a unique film-formation mechanism and charge generation process, demonstrating that the fiber network and suitable aggregation size are crucial for ensuring higher performance in donor-diluted ST-OSCs. The 1 cm2 donor-diluted ST-OSCs with active layer thicknesses of 119 and 301 nm exhibit high light utilization efficiencies (LUEs) of 4.04% and 3.02%, respectively. Notably, a 100 cm2 module demonstrates a CTM ratio of ~85% and a LUE of 3.32%, owing to its high film thickness tolerance, setting a new benchmark for large-area semitransparent modules. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of BIPVs in terms of power generation, energy storage, and temperature control through a scale-down model with a 600 cm2 power-generating window. These results reveal promising prospects for ST-OSCs in real-world applications.
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Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by National Key R&D Program of China under Grant No. 2024YFA1208200 (J.Z.), the Chinese Academy of Sciences Project for Young Scientists in Basic Research under Grant No. YSBR-110 (D.D., T.W.), the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 52373177, 22135001 and 22309034 (J.Z., Z.W., T.W.). We thank the robotic AI-Scientist platform of Chinese Academy of Sciences for providing the organic solar module integration and fabrication system.
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Z.W. conceived the idea, supervised this project, and contributed to the writing of the final version. J.Z. planned the experiments, contributed to the manuscript preparation, carried out the GIWAXS test and data analysis. T.W. carried out the device and module fabrication, the characterization test and data analysis, the validation for BIPVs functionality and drafted the manuscript. J.F. provided the materials, helped to fabricate the semitransparent large-area modules and validation for BIPVs functionality, and took care of the revision of this manuscript. D.D., W.Z., and C.H. assisted in the selection of photovoltaic materials and provided the materials characteristics analysis. X.H. supported the TA test and proposed constructive opinions for the analysis of TA data. H.Z., C.T., and Y.W. assisted in the fabrication of the device and in-situ absorption test. Z.F. measured the TA spectroscopy.
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Wang, T., Fang, J., Zhang, H. et al. Scalable semitransparent organic solar cells with robust film thickness tolerance for building-integrated photovoltaics. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69537-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69537-3
