Interface engineering with co-self-assembled monolayers for improved charge extraction and morphology in organic photovoltaics

Jiang, Bing-Huang and Huang, Zih-Ruei and Su, Yu-Wei and Shi, Zhong-En and Hasbullah, Nurul Fadzlin and Hsu, Yu-Chih and Yu, Yang-Yen and Chen, Chih-Ping (2025) Interface engineering with co-self-assembled monolayers for improved charge extraction and morphology in organic photovoltaics. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 17 (46). pp. 63996-64005. ISSN 1944-8244 E-ISSN 1944-8252

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Abstract

Carbazole-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), such as the widely used [2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl]phosphonic acid (2PACz), have significantly improved the performance of conventional organic photovoltaics (OPVs) by serving as efficient hole-selective layers (HSLs). However, the intrinsic limitations of 2PACz have hindered further enhancements in device performance. Although the molecular modification of 2PACz is a common strategy to overcome these constraints, it often introduces challenges. In this study, we present a coself-assembled monolayer (co-SAM) approach that blends 2PACz with 4PDACB to address the drawbacks associated with single-component SAMs. This co-SAM strategy effectively balances electrode work function tuning, interfacial quality improvement, and active layer blend morphology optimization, thereby enabling enhanced overall performance in OPVs. By optimizing PM6:Y6-based OPVs using the co-SAM strategy, we achieved an outstanding power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.55%, significantly exceeding the PCEs of devices with single-layer 2PACz (17.08%) and 4PDACB (16.13%). The effectiveness of this approach was further demonstrated in ternary OPVs, where co-SAMs enabled a maximum PCE of 18.69%. These results underscore the critical role of surface engineering in controlling film morphology and provide valuable insights for advancing OPV performance.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Additional Information:	4527/125634
Uncontrolled Keywords:	organic photovoltaic, self-assembled monolayer, hole selective layer, conjugated polymer, hole transport layer
Subjects:	T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Engineering > Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Kulliyyah of Engineering
Depositing User:	Dr Nurul Fadzlin Hasbullah
Date Deposited:	22 Dec 2025 16:43
Last Modified:	25 Dec 2025 08:09
Queue Number:	2025-12-Q805
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/125634

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