Photocurrent-Detected 2D Electronic Spectroscopy Reveals Ultrafast Hole Transfer in Operating PM6/Y6 Organic Solar Cells

The performance of nonfullerene-acceptor-(NFA)-based organic solar cells is rapidly approaching the efficiency of inorganic cells. The chemical versatility of NFAs extends the light-harvesting range to the infrared, while preserving a considerably high open-circuit-voltage, crucial to achieve power-conversion efficiencies >17%. Such low voltage losses in the charge separation process have been attributed to a low-driving-force and efficient exciton dissociation. Here, we address the nature of the subpicosecond dynamics of electron/hole transfer in PM6/Y6 solar cells. While previous reports focused on active layers only, we developed a photocurrent-detected two-dimensional spectroscopy to follow the charge transfer in fully operating devices. Our measurements reveal an efficient hole-transfer from the Y6-acceptor to the PM6-donor on the subpicosecond time scale. On the contrary, at the same time scale, no electron-transfer is seen from the donor to the acceptor. These findings, putting ultrafast spectroscopy in action on operating optoelectronic devices, provide insight for further enhancing NFA solar cell performance.