Spooner, E.L.K. orcid.org/0000-0001-9575-550X, Cassella, E.J. orcid.org/0000-0003-4897-1650, Smith, J.A. orcid.org/0000-0001-6889-4408 et al. (3 more authors) (2023) Air-knife-assisted spray coating of organic solar cells. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15 (33). pp. 39625-39635. ISSN 1944-8244
Abstract
The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of organic solar cells (OSCs) have risen dramatically since the introduction of the “Y-series” of non-fullerene acceptors. However, the demonstration of rapid scalable deposition techniques to deposit such systems is rare. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the deposition of a Y-series-based system using ultrasonic spray coating─a technique with the potential for significantly faster deposition speeds than most traditional meniscus-based methods. Through the use of an air-knife to rapidly remove the casting solvent, we can overcome film reticulation, allowing the drying dynamics to be controlled without the use of solvent additives, heating the substrate, or heating the casting solution. The air-knife also facilitates the use of a non-halogenated, low-toxicity solvent, resulting in industrially relevant, spray-coated PM6:DTY6 devices with PCEs of up to 14.1%. We also highlight the obstacles for scalable coating of Y-series-based solar cells, in particular the influence of slower drying times on blend morphology and crystallinity. This work demonstrates the compatibility of ultrasonic spray coating, and use of an air-knife, with high-speed, roll-to-roll OSC manufacturing techniques.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | energy materials; organic photovoltaics; organic solar cells; polymer; spray coating |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL EP/S009213/1 ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL EP/V027131/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 01 Sep 2023 15:54 |
Last Modified: | 01 Sep 2023 15:54 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acsami.3c05306 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:202951 |