Organic Photovoltaic Materials and Device Architecture

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology exploits π-conjugated small molecules and polymers to convert sunlight into electrical energy via processes of light absorption, exciton generation, charge separation and charge collection. Active layers typically comprise an electron‐donating component and an electron‐accepting component arranged in bilayer or bulk‐heterojunction (BHJ) architectures. Advances in donor polymers and non-fullerene acceptors have driven power conversion efficiencies beyond 18 %, while offering mechanical flexibility, low-temperature solution processing and tunable optical gaps. Control of nanoscale phase separation, crystallinity and interfacial energetics is critical to balancing exciton diffusion lengths with charge-transport pathways and minimising non-radiative voltage losses. Device configurations range from conventional and inverted single junctions to tandem and multi-junction stacks designed to harvest different regions of the solar spectrum. Ongoing research addresses stability, up-scaling and the mitigation of photochemical and morphological degradation. With the promise of lightweight modules for building-integrated photovoltaics and portable power sources, organic solar cells represent a globally significant route to sustainable energy generation.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Organic Photovoltaic Materials and Device Architecture publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in organic photovoltaic materials and device architecture across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Exciton diffusion: The process by which bound electron–hole pairs migrate through an organic semiconductor before dissociating at a donor–acceptor interface.

Bulk heterojunction: A nanoscale interpenetrating network of donor and acceptor materials that maximises interfacial area for exciton dissociation and provides continuous percolation pathways for charge carriers.

Non-fullerene acceptor: A class of electron-accepting molecules, distinct from fullerene derivatives, featuring tunable optical gaps, improved absorption profiles and enhanced morphological stability.

Open-circuit voltage (VOC): The maximum voltage achievable by a solar cell under illumination when no external current is drawn, determined by the energy difference between the donor’s highest occupied molecular orbital and the acceptor’s lowest unoccupied molecular orbital.

References

1. Wide-bandgap organic solar cells with a novel perylene-based non-fullerene acceptor enabling open-circuit voltages beyond 1.4 V. Journal of Materials Chemistry A (2022).
2. Phenylene‐Bridged Perylene Monoimides as Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells: A Study on the Structure–Property Relationship. Chemistry - A European Journal (2022).
3. Critical review of the molecular design progress in non-fullerene electron acceptors towards commercially viable organic solar cells. Chemical Society Reviews (2019).