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Bending-stability Interfacial Layer as Dual Electron Transport Layer for Flexible Organic Photovoltaics

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Abstract

The flexibility of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) has attracted worldwide attention in recent years. To realize the bending-stability of OPVs, it is necessary to put forward the bending-stability of interfacial layer. A novel bendable composite is explored and successfully applied as an electron transport layer (ETL) for fully-flexible OPVs. We incorporated poly(vinylpyrrolidone)(PVP) into conjugated electrolytes (CPE) to composite a bendable ETL for high-performance OPVs devices. Fortunately, the devices based on PVP-modified CPE exhibited better device performances and more excellent mechanical properties of bendability. The fullerene-free OPVs based on PM6:IT-4F with CPE@PVP as ETLs yield the best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.42%. Moreover, a satisfying efficiency of 12.59% has been obtained for the fully-flexible OPVs. As far as we know, this is one of the highest PCE for fully-flexible OPV based PM6:IT-4F system. More importantly, the flexible OPVs devices can retain more than 80% of its initial efficiency after 5000 bending cycles. Furthermore, among various curvature radii, the mechanical properties of the device based on CPE@PVP are superior to those of the device based on bare CPE as ETL. These findings indicate that the functional flexibility of CPE as a cathode interfacial layer is an effective strategy to fabricate high-performance flexible devices in the near future.

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Acknowledgments

Y. C, X. H and X. L thank for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51833004, 22005131, 51973032, 21905043 and U20A20128).

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  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Advanced Scientific Research (iASR), Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China

    Guodong Xu, Xunfan Liao & Yiwang Chen

  2. Key Laboratory of Functional Small Molecules for Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China

    Guodong Xu, Xunfan Liao & Yiwang Chen

  3. Analysis and Testing Center, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China

    Guodong Xu

  4. Institute of Polymers and Energy Chemistry (IPEC), Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China

    Xiaotian Hu & Yiwang Chen

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  1. Guodong Xu
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  2. Xiaotian Hu
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  4. Yiwang Chen
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Correspondence to Yiwang Chen.

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Xu, G., Hu, X., Liao, X. et al. Bending-stability Interfacial Layer as Dual Electron Transport Layer for Flexible Organic Photovoltaics. Chin J Polym Sci 39, 1441–1447 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-021-2586-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-021-2586-z

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