Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center
image:
(a) Chemical structures;
(b) energy levels;
(c) normalized absorption spectra of D18, L8-BO and P66;
(d) schematic architecture of LOPVs
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(a) Chemical structures;
(b) energy levels;
(c) normalized absorption spectra of D18, L8-BO and P66;
(d) schematic architecture of LOPVs
Credit: Hongyue Tian, Naichao Zheng, Minqi Luo, Zuliang Zhuo, Hang Zhou, Tengfei Han, Byung Hui Lee, Han Young Woo, Qianqian Sun, Cong Zhang, Xiaoling Ma & Fujun Zhang.
Researchers from Beijing Jiaotong University and their collaborators have developed a novel morphology engineering strategy to boost the performance of layer-by-layer organic photovoltaics (LOPVs). By incorporating a trace amount of a high-crystallinity, high-hole-mobility polymer into the acceptor layer, the team successfully achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.81%.
Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are gaining significant attention as a next-generation clean-energy technology due to their low cost, flexibility, and solution-processability. While LOPVs—constructed by layering donor and acceptor materials—are among the most promising designs, achieving high efficiency has been hampered by the disordered molecular packing of many acceptor materials, which limits the transport of photogenerated holes.
In the study published in ENGINEERING Energy, the researchers introduced a polymer named P66—which features a planar donor-acceptor structure and high hole mobility—into the acceptor layer of LOPVs.
Key Research Highlights:
"Our results indicate that intentionally incorporating materials with high hole mobility and crystallinity into the acceptor layer is a highly effective strategy for boosting LOPVs performance," the authors noted. By regulating the morphology at a molecular level, this approach provides a robust pathway for the further development of high-efficiency, flexible, and sustainable solar energy devices.
Journal: ENGINEERING Energy
Read the full article for free: https://rdcu.be/frN5a
Cite this article: Tian, H., Zheng, N., Luo, M. et al. Over 19.8% efficiency layer-by-layer organic photovoltaics by incorporating a high-mobility crystallinity material into the acceptor layer. ENGINEERING Energy 20, 10802 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-026-1080-2
ENGINEERING Energy
10.1007/s11708-026-1080-2
News article
Over 19.8% efficiency layer-by-layer organic photovoltaics by incorporating a high-mobility crystallinity material into the acceptor layer
20-Jun-2026
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