Porphyrin-Based Organic Solar Cell Technologies
Summary
Porphyrins are macrocyclic molecules notable for their intense light-harvesting capabilities, chemical robustness and structural versatility. In organic solar cells (OSCs) they may serve as either the electron-donating or electron-accepting component within bulk heterojunction blends. The extended π-conjugation and possibility of central metallation allow precise tuning of optical absorption across the visible and near-infrared regions, facilitating panchromatic photon capture. Molecular design strategies include the incorporation of electron-rich or electron-deficient substituents, oligomeric bridging units and side-chain engineering to optimise film morphology, charge-carrier mobility and interfacial energetics. Progress in non-fullerene acceptors based on porphyrin cores has broadened the palette of low-bandgap materials, while donor porphyrin dimers and metalloporphyrin derivatives have delivered power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 10 %. Advances in solvent-processed, halogen-free fabrication and novel interfacial layers further enhance stability and scalability. Taken together, these developments underscore the global significance of porphyrin-based OSCs as a route to low-cost, lightweight and flexible photovoltaic technologies.
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Porphyrin-Based Organic Solar Cell Technologies publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in porphyrin-based organic solar cell technologies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Porphyrin: A planar, macrocyclic molecule with conjugated bonds capable of strong light absorption.
Bulk heterojunction (BHJ): A blend morphology in OSCs where donor and acceptor phases interpenetrate to facilitate charge separation.
Power conversion efficiency (PCE): The ratio of electrical power output to incident solar power under standard illumination.
Non-fullerene acceptor: A class of electron-accepting materials that offer tunable energy levels and absorption, alternative to fullerene derivatives.
Metallation: The insertion of a metal ion into the porphyrin core to modify optical and electronic properties.
References
- Artificial light-harvesting n-type porphyrin for panchromatic organic photovoltaic devices. Chemical Science (2017).
- Evaluating Zn‐Porphyrin‐Based Near‐IR‐Sensitive Non‐Fullerene Acceptors for Efficient Panchromatic Organic Solar Cells. ChemistryOpen (2022).
- Indacenodithiophene Bridged Dimeric Porphyrin Donor and Absorption Complementary Indacenodithiophene Acceptor for Nonfullerene Organic Photovoltaics. ACS Applied Energy Materials (2023).
- A new alcohol-soluble dye-tetraphenyl porphyrin functionalized copolymer: Inside the role as a third component/cathode interlayer in halogen-free OSCs. Reactive and Functional Polymers (2024).
- Gold(III) Porphyrin Was Used as an Electron Acceptor for Efficient Organic Solar Cells. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2022).
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