A dendritic hexamer acceptor enables 19.4% efficiency with exceptional stability in organic solar cells

Tao Jia; Tao Lin; Yang Yang; Lunbi Wu; Huimin Cai; Zesheng Zhang; Kangfeng Lin; Yulong Hai; Yongmin Luo; Ruijie Ma; Yao Li; Top Archie Dela Peña; Sha Liu; Jie Zhang; Chunchen Liu; Junwu Chen; Jiaying Wu; Shengjian Liu; Fei Huang

doi:10.1038/s41467-025-56225-x

Nature Communications (Jan 2025)

A dendritic hexamer acceptor enables 19.4% efficiency with exceptional stability in organic solar cells

Tao Jia,
Tao Lin,
Yang Yang,
Lunbi Wu,
Huimin Cai,
Zesheng Zhang,
Kangfeng Lin,
Yulong Hai,
Yongmin Luo,
Ruijie Ma,
Yao Li,
Top Archie Dela Peña,
Sha Liu,
Jie Zhang,
Chunchen Liu,
Junwu Chen,
Jiaying Wu,
Shengjian Liu,
Fei Huang

Affiliations

Tao Jia: School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Tao Lin: School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Yang Yang: School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Lunbi Wu: School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Huimin Cai: School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Zesheng Zhang: Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology
Kangfeng Lin: School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Yulong Hai: Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)
Yongmin Luo: Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)
Ruijie Ma: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Photonic Research Institute (PRI), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Yao Li: Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)
Top Archie Dela Peña: Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)
Sha Liu: Dongguan Key Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Science for Advanced Materials and Large-Scale Scientific Facilities, School of Physical Sciences, Great Bay University
Jie Zhang: Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology
Chunchen Liu: Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology
Junwu Chen: Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology
Jiaying Wu: Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)
Shengjian Liu: School of Chemistry, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage, Key Laboratory of Electronic Chemicals for Integrated Circuit Packaging, South China Normal University (SCNU)
Fei Huang: Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56225-x
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 16, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Abstract To achieve the commercialization of organic solar cells (OSCs), it is crucial not only to enhance power conversion efficiency (PCE) but also to improve device stability through rational molecular design. Recently emerging giant molecular acceptor (GMA) materials offer various advantages, such as precise chemical structure, high molecular weight (beneficial to film stability under several external stress), and impressive device efficiency, making them a promising candidate. Here, we report a dendritic hexamer acceptor developed through a branch-connecting strategy, which overcomes the molecular weight bottleneck of GMAs and achieves a high production yield over 58%. The dendritic acceptor Six-IC exhibits modulated crystallinity and miscibility with the donor, thus better morphology performance compared to its monomer, DTC8. Its charge transport ability is further enhanced by additional channels between the armed units. Consequently, the binary OSCs based on D18:Six-IC achieves a cutting-edge efficiency of 19.4% for high-molecular weight acceptor based systems, as well as decent device stability and film ductility. This work reports high-performance OSCs based on dendritic molecule acceptor with a molecular weight exceeding 10000 g/mol and shares the understanding for designing comprehensively high-performing acceptor materials.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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