Johannes Benduhn, Kristofer Tvingstedt, Fortunato Piersimoni, Sascha Ullbrich, Yeli Fan, Manuel Tropiano, Kathryn A. McGarry, Olaf Zeika, Moritz K. Riede, Christopher J. Douglas, Stephen Barlow, Seth R. Marder, Dieter Neher, Donato Spoltore, Koen Vandewal
- Organic solar cells demonstrate external quantum efficiencies and fill factors approaching those of conventional photovoltaic technologies. However, as compared with the optical gap of the absorber materials, their open-circuit voltage is much lower, largely due to the presence of significant non-radiative recombination. Here, we study a large data set of published and new material combinations and find that non-radiative voltage losses decrease with increasing charge-transfer-state energies. This observation is explained by considering non-radiative charge-transfer-state decay as electron transfer in the Marcus inverted regime, being facilitated by a common skeletal molecular vibrational mode. Our results suggest an intrinsic link between non-radiative voltage losses and electron-vibration coupling, indicating that these losses are unavoidable. Accordingly, the theoretical upper limit for the power conversion efficiency of single-junction organic solar cells would be reduced to about 25.5% and the optimal optical gap increases toOrganic solar cells demonstrate external quantum efficiencies and fill factors approaching those of conventional photovoltaic technologies. However, as compared with the optical gap of the absorber materials, their open-circuit voltage is much lower, largely due to the presence of significant non-radiative recombination. Here, we study a large data set of published and new material combinations and find that non-radiative voltage losses decrease with increasing charge-transfer-state energies. This observation is explained by considering non-radiative charge-transfer-state decay as electron transfer in the Marcus inverted regime, being facilitated by a common skeletal molecular vibrational mode. Our results suggest an intrinsic link between non-radiative voltage losses and electron-vibration coupling, indicating that these losses are unavoidable. Accordingly, the theoretical upper limit for the power conversion efficiency of single-junction organic solar cells would be reduced to about 25.5% and the optimal optical gap increases to (1.45-1.65) eV, that is, (0.2-0.3) eV higher than for technologies with minimized non-radiative voltage losses.…
MetadatenAuthor details: | Johannes Benduhn, Kristofer TvingstedtORCiD, Fortunato Piersimoni, Sascha Ullbrich, Yeli Fan, Manuel Tropiano, Kathryn A. McGarry, Olaf Zeika, Moritz K. RiedeORCiD, Christopher J. DouglasORCiD, Stephen Barlow, Seth R. Marder, Dieter NeherORCiDGND, Donato SpoltoreORCiD, Koen Vandewal |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2017.53 |
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ISSN: | 2058-7546 |
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Title of parent work (English): | Nature Energy |
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Publisher: | Nature Publ. Group |
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Place of publishing: | London |
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Publication type: | Article |
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Language: | English |
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Date of first publication: | 2017/04/10 |
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Publication year: | 2017 |
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Release date: | 2022/04/19 |
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Volume: | 2 |
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Number of pages: | 6 |
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Funding institution: | German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) through the Framework Programme FP7 under the REA grant [PIEF-GA-2012-327199]; German Research Foundation (DFG) [SFB 951]; Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research [N00014-14-1-0580]; China Scholarship Council; Christ Church Oxford; UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) [EP/L026066/1] |
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Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Physik und Astronomie |
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DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik |
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Peer review: | Referiert |
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