Researchers from Zhengzhou University, under the direction of Professor Chenkai Sun, created an innovative low-cost polymer material for Organic Solar Cells (OSCs) that achieves previously unheard-of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The study, which was published in Science China Chemistry, presents two polymers, PTQ14 and PTQ15, that contain a trifluoromethyl (CF₃) group to improve performance and significantly lower production costs.
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Key Innovations
- Ultralow Cost: PTQ15 is only 1/5 to 1/6 of other “star” high-performance polymers such as PM6 (205,725 $ kg-1) and D18 (211,432 $ kg-1) in price, at just $35,528 $ kg-1. High yields (>80%) and a simplified synthesis (3–4) were used to accomplish this.
- Record Efficiency: The highest power conversion efficiency for inexpensive organic materials was achieved by OSCs using PTQ15 with acceptors K1/K6 (19.96%). The devices also demonstrated very low non-radiative energy loss (0.190 eV) and extremely quick charge transfer (1.40 ps).
- Industrial Viability: The devices reached an efficiency of 19.37% when processed in open air at 25% relative humidity, marking a key milestone for scalable manufacturing. The lowest reported minimum sustainable price for organic photovoltaics is 0.36 $ per watt.
Why It Matters
Commercialization is hampered by most high-efficiency OSCs' reliance on costly, complicated materials. PTQ15's low cost, high stability, high efficiency, and air-process compatibility may hasten the transition from laboratory to market. By matching acceptors, adjusting film morphology, and optimizing donors, the team hopes to increase efficiency above 20%.
About the Team
The study was conducted at the College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, with collaborators from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Wuhan University. The National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province funded the research.
Journal Reference:
Li, Z., et al. (2025) Ultrafast charge transfer and suppressed non-radiative energy loss enabled by trifluoromethyl-substituted low-cost polymer donors for efficient organic solar cells. Science China Chemistry. doi.org/10.1007/s11426-024-2563-0.