Recent advancements in perylene diimide as an electron acceptor in organic solar cells

Abstract

Interest in alternative powering solutions for the growing internet of things (IoT) has boosted the research on third-generation solar cell devices. Organic, perovskite, and dye-sensitized solar cells (OSCs/PSCs/DSSCs) are developed for this purpose. Every solar cell has its pros and cons in the IoT application. For example, PSCs have Pb toxicity and stability issues. OSCs have only stability issues, which can be overcome by encapsulating the devices for indoor applications. OSCs comprise an active layer that is a blend of donor materials and fullerenes. However, fullerene-based devices show relatively low device performance compared to non-fullerene ones. One of the famous non-fullerene acceptors, known as perylene diimide (PDI), will be reviewed in this manuscript.