POS5-0828
Bridging Sustainability and High Performance in Organic Solar Cells through Bio-Derived Solvents
Topic
S5. Polymers for Electronics and Photonics
When and Where
Sep 29, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Hae Jung SON
Boseok KANG
Presenter(s)
Seungho Lee (KAIST)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Organic solar cells (OSCs) have achieved remarkable progress in power conversion efficiency (PCE); however, most high-performance devices still rely on halogenated solvents, which raise environmental concerns and require inert processing environments, limiting large-scale manufacturing. Terpene-based solvents offer a sustainable alternative, but their limited solubility often results in unfavorable morphology and reduced device performance.
Here, we demonstrate high-efficiency OSCs processed from a terpene-based eucalyptol (Eu) and Tetralin (Tet) binary solvent system. By optimizing the solvent composition, the aggregation behavior and film-formation process of the active layer were effectively controlled, resulting in improved molecular organization and charge transport. The optimized devices achieved a PCE of 18.66% under nitrogen processing and 18.40% under ambient conditions, while retaining 94.7% of their initial efficiency after 1270 h of unencapsulated air stability.
Notably, this represents the highest efficiency reported to date for terpene-processed OSCs. By integrating outstanding photovoltaic performance with environmental sustainability and ambient-process compatibility, this work highlights the potential of bio-derived solvents as a practical platform for next-generation organic solar cells.
Here, we demonstrate high-efficiency OSCs processed from a terpene-based eucalyptol (Eu) and Tetralin (Tet) binary solvent system. By optimizing the solvent composition, the aggregation behavior and film-formation process of the active layer were effectively controlled, resulting in improved molecular organization and charge transport. The optimized devices achieved a PCE of 18.66% under nitrogen processing and 18.40% under ambient conditions, while retaining 94.7% of their initial efficiency after 1270 h of unencapsulated air stability.
Notably, this represents the highest efficiency reported to date for terpene-processed OSCs. By integrating outstanding photovoltaic performance with environmental sustainability and ambient-process compatibility, this work highlights the potential of bio-derived solvents as a practical platform for next-generation organic solar cells.
