Development of new two-dimensional small molecules based on benzodifuran for efficient organic solar cells

A new organic small molecule, DCA3TBDF, with a 2D benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b]difuran (BDF) moiety as the central core and octyl cyanoacetate units as the end-capped blocks, was designed and synthesized for solution-processed bulk heterojunction solar cells. DCA3TBDF possesses good solubility in common organic solvents such as toluene, CH₂Cl₂, chlorobenzene, and CHCl₃ and good thermal stability with an onset decomposition temperature with 5 % weight-loss occurring at 361°C. The DCA3TBDF thin film showed a broad absorption at λ=320-700 nm and high crystallinity. Small-molecule organic solar cells based on DCA3TBDF and [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester demonstrated promising power conversion efficiency with a high fill factor under the illumination of AM 1.5G (100 mW cm^-2).