TY - JOUR
T1 - Eco-friendly polymer solar cells
T2 - Advances in green-solvent processing and material design
AU - Lee, Seungjin
AU - Jeong, Dahyun
AU - Kim, Changkyun
AU - Lee, Changyeon
AU - Kang, Hyunbum
AU - Woo, Han Young
AU - Kim, Bumjoon J.
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.
PY - 2020/11/24
Y1 - 2020/11/24
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Eco-friendly polymer solar cells
KW - Eco-friendly processing
KW - Green solvents
KW - Large-area solar cells
KW - Long-term stability
KW - Non-halogenated solvents
KW - Organic solar cells
KW - Water/alcohol-based processing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096309844&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsnano.0c07488
DO - 10.1021/acsnano.0c07488
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33103903
AN - SCOPUS:85096309844
VL - 14
SP - 14493
EP - 14527
JO - ACS Nano
JF - ACS Nano
SN - 1936-0851
IS - 11
ER -