Achieving 20.1% Efficiency in Organic Solar Cells Through Interconnected Fibrillar Networks via Local Molecular Stacking

Abstract

The performance of organic solar cells (OSCs) is governed by how molecular packing evolves into interconnected networks that facilitate exciton dissociation and charge transport. Using an all-small-molecule blend DR3TSBDT:Y6 as a model system, we study how local molecular stacking evolves into performance-relevant morphology during solvent vapor annealing (SVA) and subsequent thermal annealing (TA). SVA promotes end-to-end stacking of amorphous acceptors to form interconnected fibrils, while TA compacts inter-fibril spacing without disrupting favorable local order. Such molecular-to-morphological refinements broaden light absorption, enhance charge transport, and markedly improve device efficiency. Extending this approach to additional blend systems (D18:Y6, D18:L8-BO, and DR3TSBDT:L8-BO) yields similar structural evolution and performance gains, with the D18:L8-BO system achieving up to 20.10% PCE. Our study establishes control over local stacking in amorphous acceptors into fibrillar networks as a general and effective route to realize high-performance OSCs.

Keywords

amorphous / molecular stacking / morphology / organic solar cells / post-treatments

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