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Tuning the Optoelectronic Properties of Perylene Diimide for Advanced Organic Photovoltaic
Author(s)
Ayub, Ali Raza
Sabir, Muhammad Zohaib
Salba
Yaqoob, Umer
Nabat, Karim Youssef
Li, Hui
Date Issued
February 1, 2026
Type
Article
Abstract
Organic solar cells (OSCs) are becoming more popular because they are cheap to make, flexible, and have a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE), which has gone up from 4.1% in 2010–25.21% in 2022. However, making the active layer materials’ electrical characteristics better is still a big problem when it comes to getting even more efficient. This research seeks to tackle this problem by creating and synthesizing a group of small molecules (PDI-1 to PDI-6) using a perylene diimide indacenodithiophene (PIDT) acceptor structure and adding different donor–acceptor connectors to improve charge transfer and light absorption.We tested their photovoltaic performance and compared it to that of a reference molecule (PDI-R). All synthesized molecules exhibit low bandgaps, higher dipole moments, and improved electron transfer properties. Among them, PDI-4, a donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) structured molecule with a thiophene bridge, demonstrated the best overall performance, showing enhanced π-delocalization and charge–transfer efficiency. These findings contribute to the broader goal of advancing the molecular design of active-layer materials for high-performance OSCs.
Citation
Energy Technology, 14(2), 2026