Hidden Structure Ordering along Backbone of Fused-Ring Electron Acceptors Enhanced by Ternary Bulk Heterojunction

Fused-ring electron acceptors (FREAs), as a family of non-fullerene (NF) acceptors, have achieved tremendous success in pushing the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells. Here, the detailed molecular packing motifs of two extensively studied FREAs-ITIC and ITIC-Th are reported. It is revealed for the first time the long-range structure ordering along the backbone direction originated from favored end group π-π stacking. The backbone ordering could be significantly enhanced in the ternary film by the mutual mixing of ITIC and ITIC-Th, which gives rise to an improved in-plane electron mobility and better ternary device performance. The backbone ordering might be a common morphological feature of FREAs, providing explanations to previously observed small open circuit voltage loss and superior performance of FREA-based devices and guiding the future molecular design of high-performance NF acceptors.