Tracing photostability from small molecules to polymer Y-series acceptors: effects in neat, blend films and operational solar cells
Abstract
All-polymer organic photovoltaics (OPVs) based on Y-series acceptors have recently achieved high power conversion efficiencies, yet their long-term stability under light remains insufficiently understood. We systematically investigate the photostability of Y-series acceptors (Y6, Y12, and PY-IT) in neat films and in PM6-based binary (PM6 : Y6, PM6 : Y12, PM6 : PY-IT) and ternary (PM6 : Y12 : PY-IT) blends processed from o-xylene under ambient conditions. Accelerated aging experiments were conducted in a SUNTest chamber on films with and without atomic layer deposition (ALD) encapsulation, enabling a direct assessment of the impact of materials on photodegradation behavior. Small-molecule acceptors exhibit higher intrinsic stability than PY-IT, which degrades more rapidly. The composition of blends plays a critical role in stability, with PM6 : PY-IT degrading more rapidly than small-molecule systems, while incorporating a small fraction of Y12 in ternary blends significantly enhances photostability. In parallel, devices based on PM6 : Y12, PM6 : PY-IT, and PM6 : Y12 : PY-IT were fabricated via doctor-blade coating from the o-xylene under ambient conditions, and their operational stability was evaluated using ISOS protocols (ISOS-D-1, ISOS-D-2 and ISOS-L-1). The resulting devices exhibit competitive efficiencies, with ternary architectures combining high performance and markedly enhanced operational stability under dark, thermal, and illumination stress. Morphological and structural analyses using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS), reveal enhanced molecular ordering, larger crystalline domains, and reduced π–π stacking distances in ternary systems, which correlates with improved stability and device performance. This work therefore establishes structure–morphology–stability relationships, demonstrating that ternary blending of polymeric and small-molecule acceptors is an effective strategy for developing efficient, stable, and scalable organic solar cells.
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BibTeX
@article{kramdi2026tracing,
title = {{Tracing photostability from small molecules to polymer Y-series acceptors: effects in neat, blend films and operational solar cells}},
author = {M. El. A. Kramdi and Y a Avalos Quiroz and A. Karahan and V. Kannampalli and L. Santinacci and O. Margeat and S. Desbief and A. Rivaton and T. Watanabe and H. Sekimoto and S M Marques and R. Pedroso and R. Demadrille and C. Aumaître and D. Fredj and J. Ackermann and C M Ruiz and Christine Videlot-Ackermann},
journal = {Journal of Materials Chemistry C},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6tc01667g},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05785617v1},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tracing photostability from small molecules to polymer Y-series acceptors: effects in neat, blend films and operational solar cells
AU - M. El. A. Kramdi
AU - Y a Avalos Quiroz
AU - A. Karahan
AU - V. Kannampalli
AU - L. Santinacci
AU - O. Margeat
AU - S. Desbief
AU - A. Rivaton
AU - T. Watanabe
AU - H. Sekimoto
AU - S M Marques
AU - R. Pedroso
AU - R. Demadrille
AU - C. Aumaître
AU - D. Fredj
AU - J. Ackermann
AU - C M Ruiz
AU - Christine Videlot-Ackermann
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Journal of Materials Chemistry C
DO - 10.1039/d6tc01667g
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05785617v1
AB - All-polymer organic photovoltaics (OPVs) based on Y-series acceptors have recently achieved high power conversion efficiencies, yet their long-term stability under light remains insufficiently understood. We systematically investigate the photostability of Y-series acceptors (Y6, Y12, and PY-IT) in neat films and in PM6-based binary (PM6 : Y6, PM6 : Y12, PM6 : PY-IT) and ternary (PM6 : Y12 : PY-IT) blends processed from o-xylene under ambient conditions. Accelerated aging experiments were conducted in a SUNTest chamber on films with and without atomic layer deposition (ALD) encapsulation, enabling a direct assessment of the impact of materials on photodegradation behavior. Small-molecule acceptors exhibit higher intrinsic stability than PY-IT, which degrades more rapidly. The composition of blends plays a critical role in stability, with PM6 : PY-IT degrading more rapidly than small-molecule systems, while incorporating a small fraction of Y12 in ternary blends significantly enhances photostability. In parallel, devices based on PM6 : Y12, PM6 : PY-IT, and PM6 : Y12 : PY-IT were fabricated via doctor-blade coating from the o-xylene under ambient conditions, and their operational stability was evaluated using ISOS protocols (ISOS-D-1, ISOS-D-2 and ISOS-L-1). The resulting devices exhibit competitive efficiencies, with ternary architectures combining high performance and markedly enhanced operational stability under dark, thermal, and illumination stress. Morphological and structural analyses using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS), reveal enhanced molecular ordering, larger crystalline domains, and reduced π–π stacking distances in ternary systems, which correlates with improved stability and device performance. This work therefore establishes structure–morphology–stability relationships, demonstrating that ternary blending of polymeric and small-molecule acceptors is an effective strategy for developing efficient, stable, and scalable organic solar cells.
SN - 2050-7526
SN - 2050-7534
ER -