IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,369,447
Granted Patent B2
US 12,369,447 · App. 16/937,128 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Acceptor bottom layer for organic photovoltaics

Inventors: Stephen R. Forrest (Ann Arbor, MI); Kan Ding (Ann Arbor, MI)
Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
H10K30/353H10K71/164H10K71/40H10K30/50
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,369,447
App. No.
16/937,128
Granted
Jul 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An organic photovoltaic device comprises an anode and a cathode, an active layer positioned between the anode and the cathode, comprising a first donor material and a first acceptor material in a first ratio, and an interface layer positioned between the anode and the cathode, comprising a second donor material and a second acceptor material in a second ratio. A method of fabricating an organic photovoltaic device and an organic photovoltaic device produced with the disclosed methods are also disclosed herein.

Claims (25)

1. An organic photovoltaic device, comprising:

an anode and a cathode;

a first active layer positioned between the anode and the cathode, comprising a mix of a first donor material and a first acceptor material in a first ratio;

a second active layer adjacent to the first active layer, comprising a mix of a second donor material and a second acceptor material in a second ratio, wherein the second active layer differs from the first active layer in at least one of donor material, acceptor material or ratio between the donor and acceptor materials; and

an interface layer having a thickness of between 1 nm and 10 nm, positioned in direct contact with the anode and the first active layer, consisting of a third acceptor material, wherein the third acceptor material is a non-fullerene acceptor material.

2. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second donor materials comprises DBP.

3. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second acceptor materials comprises fullerene.

4. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 3 , wherein the fullerene comprises C 70 .

5. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the volumetric ratio of the first donor material to the first acceptor material in the first active layer is between 1:4 and 1:10.

6. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 1 , further comprising an exciton blocking/electron transport layer positioned between the cathode and the active layer.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the interface layer has a HOMO energy 0.4 eV to 0.5 eV higher than a HOMO energy of the first active layer.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first active layer comprises multiple donor materials, multiple acceptor materials, or a combination of multiple donor materials and multiple acceptor materials.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second active layer comprises multiple donor materials, multiple acceptor materials, or a combination of multiple donor materials and multiple acceptor materials.

10. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second acceptor materials comprises BT-IC.

11. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second acceptor materials comprises BT-CIC.

12. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second acceptor materials comprises TT-FIC.

13. The organic photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second donor materials comprises CuPc, ClAlPc, SnPc, ZnPc, SubPc, naphthalocyanines, merocyanine dyes, BODIPY dyes, DIP, SQ dyes, DBP, DTDCTB, DTDCPB, iBuBTDC, DTDCPP, PCE-10, DPSQ, DTDCPB, iBuBTDC, DTDCPP, or PCE-10.

14. An organic photovoltaic device, comprising:

an anode and a cathode;

an active layer positioned between the anode and the cathode, comprising a mix of a first donor material and a first acceptor material in a first ratio;

an interface layer having a thickness of between 1 nm and 10 nm, between the anode and the active layer, consisting of a non-fullerene acceptor material;

an anode buffer layer positioned between the anode and the interface layer, and

a second active layer adjacent to the first active layer, wherein the second active layer differs from the first active layer in at least one of donor material, acceptor material or ratio between the donor and acceptor materials;

wherein the first acceptor material comprises fullerene.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the anode buffer layer comprises PEDTO:PSS, HAT-CN, or MoO 3 , and wherein the anode buffer layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 100 nm.

Assignments (2)
GOVERNMENT INTEREST AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 5, 2025
From: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
To: THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
Reel/Frame 070126/0826 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 4, 2020
From: FORREST, STEPHEN R.; DING, KAN
To: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Reel/Frame 053695/0989 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 62877579 · Jul 23, 2019
Provisional Application 62940981 · Nov 27, 2019
Related Publication 20210028361A1 · Jan 28, 2021
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