A novel surface texturization strategy enables printing efficient pseudo-planar heterojunction semi-transparent organic photovoltaics

Semi-transparent organic photovoltaics (ST-OPVs) have great potential for photovoltaic building integration and agricultural greenhouse energy. However, the mutually constraining relationship between average visible transmittance (AVT) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) remains a key issue of ST-OPVs. Herein, we innovatively applied a surface texturization strategy by integrating with a pseudo-planar heterojunction (PPHJ) structure to fabricate ST-OPVs, which possess outstanding photoelectric conversion and light management capability. The textured active layer performs significantly improved light capture capability and reduced optical loss due to that the micro-patterned arrays can deflect incident light multiple times. Moreover, the surface texturization strategy can enhance the crystallinity of the active layer and precisely control donor/acceptor inter-penetration, which magnifies exciton dissociation interface and forms ordered carrier dynamics. Consequently, the textured opaque device via blade-coating performs a record PCE of 19.17% (certified 19.02%) and the semi-transparent device achieves one of the highest light utilization efficiency (LUE) of 5.54% with prominent PCE (14.40%) and AVT (38.43%). Most importantly, the excellent thermal insulation performance and color rendering index of ST-OPVs are fitting for the agricultural greenhouses and insulation roofing, which shows that the surface texturization strategy can provide promising application prospects for ST-OPVs in economically sustainable agricultural development.