Organic Solar Cells for Space Applications: The Crucial Role of Active Layer Thickness

2025

Closed access Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.1002/adom.202501396
Data confidence 85 high
How this score is calculated

It is built from checkable properties of the record itself: whether the article has a DOI, how many independent sources confirmed its data, whether the required fields are filled in, and how recent the latest confirmation is. Disagreement between sources and a missing identifier lower it. A value of 80 or above means the record was published without further checking; 60 to 79 means it is published at reduced confidence, with a manual check advisable. A record verified by an editor by hand is never pushed below 90 by a recalculation. This scores our data about the article, not the article itself.

Abstract

Abstract Organic solar cells (OSCs) are emerging as promising candidates for space power generation due to their lightweight nature and rapidly advancing power conversion efficiencies. However, their resilience to the harsh space environment remains a critical factor for practical applications. This study investigates the impact of varying PM6:Y6 active layer thicknesses on the performance and radiation hardness of OSCs subjected to intense 170 keV short‐pulse (150 ns) proton irradiation, simulating operation in Low Earth Orbit, followed by thermal annealing. Proton irradiation induced significant changes in charge recombination and extraction dynamics, resulting in a performance degradation exceeding 50%. Notably, OSCs with thinner active layers demonstrate better radiation resistance and more effective recovery after annealing, attributed to reduced bulk trap concentrations and enhanced charge extraction efficiency. These findings provide valuable insights into the design and optimization of radiation‐hardened OSCs for space applications.