Thorough Optimization for Intrinsically Stretchable Organic Photovoltaics.
Xiangjun ZhengXiaoling WuQiang WuYunfei HanGuanyu DingYiming WangYibo KongTianyi ChenMengting WangYiqing ZhangJingwei XueWeifei FuQun LuoChangqi MaWei MaLijian ZuoMinmin ShiHongzheng ChenPublished in: Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) (2023)
The development of intrinsically stretchable organic photovoltaics (is-OPVs) with a high efficiency is of significance for practical application. However, their efficiencies lag far behind those of rigid or even flexible counterparts. To address this issue, we design and fabricate an advanced top-illuminated OPV, which is intrinsically stretchable and has a high performance, through systematic optimizations from material to device. First, the stretchability of the active layer was largely increased by adding a low-elastic-modulus elastomer of styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene tri-block copolymer (SEPS). Second, the stretchability and conductivity of the opaque electrode were enhanced by a conductive polymer/metal (denoted as M-PH1000@Ag) composite electrode strategy. Third, the optical and electrical properties of a Ag nanowire transparent electrode were improved by a solvent vapor annealing strategy. We successfully fabricated high-performance is-OPVs with a top-illuminated structure, which provided a record-high efficiency of 16.23%. Additionally, by incorporating 5-10% elastomer, we achieved a balance between the efficiency and stretchability of the is-OPVs. This study provides valuable insights into material and device optimizations for high-efficiency is-OPVs, with a low-cost production and excellent stretchability, which indicates a high potential for future applications of OPVs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.