{
  "id": 7364070,
  "title": "Novel solvent recipe boosts efficiency of organic solar cells",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/novel-solvent-recipe-boosts-efficiency-of-organic-solar-cells",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-14T17:37:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-solvent-recipe-boosts-efficiency-solar.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A team of researchers from National Taiwan University and abroad have unveiled a novel method to enhance the efficiency of organic solar cells. By incorporating a modest amount of a secondary solvent into a standard primary solvent during the fabrication process, the scientists were able to overcome a longstanding obstacle in controlling film quality, potentially paving the way for the widespread adoption of flexible, efficient, and sustainable clean energy technology.\n\nThe primary solvent, chloroform, was combined with a mere 2% concentration of a secondary solvent, which could be either 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF), 3-methyltetrahydrofuran (3-MeTHF), or tetrahydrofuran (THF). This combination slowed down the drying process, allowing polymer molecules sufficient time to organize into neatly aligned layers. This controlled solidification process yielded several benefits, including a dramatic reduction in internal energy disorder, the formation of larger crystalline domains, and enhanced molecular stacking within the film.\n\nThese improvements translated into significant gains in performance. The optimized solar cells exhibited superior charge transport, minimized energy recombination losses, and achieved power conversion efficiencies surpassing 17%. Ultrafast optical spectroscopy further validated that the refined film structure facilitated immediate separation and movement of photogenerated charges, thereby circumventing conventional energy bottlenecks.\n\nProf. Chu-Chen Chueh, co-corresponding author of the study, emphasized that by manipulating solvent evaporation dynamics during film formation, they have established a practical approach to control molecular architecture. This development brings organic solar cells a step closer to practical, high-efficiency clean energy applications. The findings were published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, with the article titled \"Cosl solvent-driven exciton delocalization and dual dissociation pathways enable high-efficiency inverted all-polymer solar cells\" (DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2026.179165).",
  "summary": "In a study recently published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, a research team from National Taiwan University and international collaborators have developed a straightforward solvent-mixing strategy to significantly boost the performance of next-generation all-polymer organic solar cells. By adding a small fraction of a cosolvent during fabrication, the team successfully resolved a…",
  "key_points": [
    "Researchers from National Taiwan University and abroad developed novel solvent method.",
    "Incorporating 2% secondary solvent into chloroform reduced drying time.",
    "Optimized solar cells achieved power conversion efficiencies over 17%."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}