Accounts of Chemical Research
Accounts of Chemical Research
5 years ago

The Curious Case of Fluorination of Conjugated Polymers for Solar Cells

The Curious Case of Fluorination of Conjugated Polymers for Solar Cells
Wei You, Nicole Bauer, Qianqian Zhang, Mary Allison Kelly
Organic solar cells (OSCs) have been a rising star in the field of renewable energy since the introduction of the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) in 1992. Recent advances have pushed the efficiencies of OSCs to over 13%, an impressive accomplishment via collaborative efforts in rational materials design and synthesis, careful device engineering, and fundamental understanding of device physics. Throughout these endeavors, several design principles for the conjugated donor polymers used in such solar cells have emerged, including optimizing the conjugated backbone with judicious selection of building blocks, side-chain engineering, and substituents. Among all of the substituents, fluorine is probably the most popular one; improved device characteristics with fluorination have frequently been reported for a wide range of conjugated polymers, in particular, donor–acceptor (D–A)-type polymers. Herein we examine the effect of fluorination on the device performance of solar cells as a function of the position of fluorination (on the acceptor unit or on the donor unit), aiming to outline a clear understanding of the benefits of this curious substituent.

Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00326

DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00326

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