Path to the fabrication of efficient, stable and commercially viable large-area organic solar cells

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have reached an outstanding certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 19% in single junction and 20% in tandem architecture design. Such high PCEs have emerged with outstanding Y-shaped Y6 non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs), together with PM6 electron donor polymers. PCEs are on the rise for small-area OSCs. However, large-area OSC sub-modules are still unable to achieve such high PCEs, and the highest certified PCE reported so far is 12% having an area of 58 cm². To fabricate efficient large-area OSCs, new custom-designed NFAs for large-area systems are imminent along with improvements in the sub-module fabrication platforms. Moreover, the search for stable yet efficient OSCs is still in progress. In this review, progress in small-area OSCs is presented with reference to the advancement in the chemical structure of NFAs and donor polymers. Finally, the life-cycle assessment of OSCs is presented and the energy payback time of the efficient and stable OSCs is discussed and lastly, an outlook for the OSCs is given.