Eco-friendly polymer solar cells: Advances in green-solvent processing and material design

Seungjin Lee; Dahyun Jeong; Changkyun Kim; Changyeon Lee; Hyunbum Kang; Han Young Woo; Bumjoon J. Kim

doi:10.1021/acsnano.0c07488

Eco-friendly polymer solar cells: Advances in green-solvent processing and material design

Seungjin Lee, Dahyun Jeong, Changkyun Kim, Changyeon Lee, Hyunbum Kang, Han Young Woo, Bumjoon J. Kim

Department of Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

131 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite the recent breakthroughs of polymer solar cells (PSCs) exhibiting a power conversion efficiency of over 17%, toxic and hazardous organic solvents such as chloroform and chlorobenzene are still commonly used in their fabrication, which impedes the practical application of PSCs. Thus, the development of eco-friendly processing methods suitable for industrial-scale production is now considered an imperative research focus. This Review provides a roadmap for the design of efficient photoactive materials that are compatible with non-halogenated green solvents (e.g., xylenes, toluene, and tetrahydrofuran). We summarize the recent development of green processing solvents and the processing methods to match with the efficient photoactive materials used in non-fullerene solar cells. We further review progress in the use of more eco-friendly solvents (i.e., water or alcohol) for achieving truly sustainable and ecofriendly PSC fabrication. For example, the concept of water- or alcohol-dispersed nanoparticles made of conjugated materials is introduced. Also, recent important progress and strategies to develop water/alcohol-soluble photoactive materials that completely eliminate the use of conventional toxic solvents are discussed. Finally, we provide our perspectives on the challenges facing the current green processing methods and materials, such as large-area coating techniques and long-term stability. We believe this Review will inform the development of PSCs that are truly clean and renewable energy sources.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	14493-14527
Number of pages	35
Journal	ACS nano
Volume	14
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c07488
Publication status	Published - 2020 Nov 24

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea (NRF-2017M3A7B8065584 and 2020R1A4A1018516). We acknowledge Prof. G. S. Collier for the helpful discussion.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Chemical Society.

Keywords

Eco-friendly polymer solar cells
Eco-friendly processing
Green solvents
Large-area solar cells
Long-term stability
Non-halogenated solvents
Organic solar cells
Water/alcohol-based processing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Materials Science(all)
Engineering(all)
Physics and Astronomy(all)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1021/acsnano.0c07488

Cite this

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title = "Eco-friendly polymer solar cells: Advances in green-solvent processing and material design",

abstract = "Despite the recent breakthroughs of polymer solar cells (PSCs) exhibiting a power conversion efficiency of over 17%, toxic and hazardous organic solvents such as chloroform and chlorobenzene are still commonly used in their fabrication, which impedes the practical application of PSCs. Thus, the development of eco-friendly processing methods suitable for industrial-scale production is now considered an imperative research focus. This Review provides a roadmap for the design of efficient photoactive materials that are compatible with non-halogenated green solvents (e.g., xylenes, toluene, and tetrahydrofuran). We summarize the recent development of green processing solvents and the processing methods to match with the efficient photoactive materials used in non-fullerene solar cells. We further review progress in the use of more eco-friendly solvents (i.e., water or alcohol) for achieving truly sustainable and ecofriendly PSC fabrication. For example, the concept of water- or alcohol-dispersed nanoparticles made of conjugated materials is introduced. Also, recent important progress and strategies to develop water/alcohol-soluble photoactive materials that completely eliminate the use of conventional toxic solvents are discussed. Finally, we provide our perspectives on the challenges facing the current green processing methods and materials, such as large-area coating techniques and long-term stability. We believe this Review will inform the development of PSCs that are truly clean and renewable energy sources.",

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author = "Seungjin Lee and Dahyun Jeong and Changkyun Kim and Changyeon Lee and Hyunbum Kang and Woo, {Han Young} and Kim, {Bumjoon J.}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea (NRF-2017M3A7B8065584 and 2020R1A4A1018516). We acknowledge Prof. G. S. Collier for the helpful discussion. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 American Chemical Society.",

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N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea (NRF-2017M3A7B8065584 and 2020R1A4A1018516). We acknowledge Prof. G. S. Collier for the helpful discussion. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 American Chemical Society.

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Eco-friendly polymer solar cells: Advances in green-solvent processing and material design

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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