Non-Fullerene Acceptors

Non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) are a promising alternative to fullerene-based electron acceptors. With a greater degree of flexibility to tune the optical properties and electronic energy levels, ITIC based organic solar cells offer greater thermal and photochemical stability, longer device lifetimes, and higher power conversion efficiencies.

Easy Synthesis

NFAs provide easy synthesis with the possibility to tune energy levels, unlike fullerenes

Strong Absorption

When compared to fullerenes, NFAs have strong absorption in the visible region and good thermal stability

Improved Stability

Non-fullerene materials improve stability of bulk heterojunctions structural morphology

We supply a range of the most promising n-type non-fullerene acceptors including the benchmark acceptors ITIC and Y6, alongside a collection of intermediates and NFA monomers for the synthesis of ITIC non-fullerene acceptors. Maximize your device efficiency by fabricating and testing new devices in a glove box environment.

Jump to: Browse NFAs | HOMO and LUMO of NFAs | Choose your OPV Device Structure | Resources and Support

Browse Non-Fullerene Acceptors

Related categories: fullerene acceptors, small molecule OPV donors, monomers

Filter by series: y-series itic-series other

Y6, BTP-4F

CAS 2304444-49-1

$234
From $169

ITIC

CAS 1664293-06-4

From $299

ITIC-4F, ITIC-2F, IT-4F

CAS 2097998-59-7

From $221

Y7, BTP-4Cl

CAS 2414918-25-3

From $273

BTP-eC9

CAS 2598965-39-8

From $429

ITIC-M, IT-M

CAS 2047352-80-5 / 2047352-83-8 / 2047352-86-1

From $234

DTY6

From $273

IEICO-4F, IOTIC-4F

CAS 2089044-02-8

From $247

o-IDTBR

CAS 2077945-91-4

From $468

ITIC-Th, IT-Th

CAS 1889344-13-1

From $416

ITIC-4Cl, ITIC-DCl, IT-4Cl

CAS 2253663-81-7

From $208

COTIC-4Cl

CAS 2328092-51-7

From $455

6TIC

CAS 2244414-53-5

From $351

L8-BO-F

From $312

L8-BO, L8-BO-2F

CAS 2668341-40-8

From $273

IDT-2Br

CAS 2042521-91-3

From $416

COTIC-4F

CAS 2328118-91-6

From $455

BTP-4F-12, Y6-BO (Y12)

CAS 2389125-23-7

From $247

ITIC-DM, IT-2M

CAS 2047352-92-9

Price $416

EH-IDTBR

CAS 2102510-60-9

From $364

ZY-4Cl

CAS 2703920-28-7

From $338

IEICO-4Cl

CAS 2240998-88-1

Price $377

BTP-4Cl-12

CAS 2447642-41-1

From $312

N3 - Y6N3

From $312

eC9-2Cl

From $468

IO-4Cl

From $442

IDIC-4Cl

CAS 2361961-01-3

From $416

IDIC

CAS 1883441-92-6

From $130

TPT10-C8C12

From $481

TPT10

CAS 2414381-17-0

From $468

IHIC

CAS 2127354-15-6

From $468

FBR

CAS 1644381-95-2

From $351

IDIC-4F

CAS 2229934-71-6

From $377

HOMO and LUMO of NFAs

The HOMO and LUMO of non-fullerene acceptors are crucial factors when selecting components for an electronic device. Molecular engineering of NFAs has allowed a range of LUMO energy levels to be accessed in order to be better matched with a donor material. See the figures below for the (literature) reported HOMO and LUMO levels for our NFAs:

HOMO and LUMO energy levels of all NFAs in LUMO order as well as y-series, itic-series and other NFAs

Choose your OPV device structure

A huge variety of NFAs have been developed for optoelectronic applications. Most are used in organic solar cell devices. Selecting the right combination of non-fullerene acceptor and polymer donor is crucial for maximising device efficiency. See some example devices below for some inspiration and get in contact with our experts if you have any questions.

*Type*	*NFA*	*Polymer*	*V_OC (V)*	*J_SC (mA cm^-2)*	FF	*PCE (%)*	*Reference*
Indoor (IOPV)	IO-4Cl	PM6	1.09	0.0738	0.815	26.4
Ternary	L8-BO/L8-ThCl	D18	0.91	27.5	0.803	20.1
	L8-BO	PM6:D18	0.896	26.7	0.819	19.6
	eC9-2Cl:F-BTA3	PBQx-TF	0.879	26.7	0.809	18.99
	L8-BO:BTP-eC9	PM6	0.88	27.68	0.775	18.92
	N3:PCBM	D18-Cl	0.849	28.22	0.78	18.69
	BTP-eC9:IT-4F	PM6	0.856	26.46	0.765	18.2
	IEICO-4F:BIT-4F-T	PTB7-Th	0.723	27.3	0.709	14
Binary	L8-BO	PM6	0.874	25.72	0.815	18.32
	BTP-eC9	PM6	0.839	26.2	0.811	17.8
	TPT10	PTQ11	0.88	24.79	0.748	16.32
	Y6	PM6	0.83	25.3	0.748	15.7
	IT-4F	PM6	0.87	20.38	0.77	13.7
	IT-4Cl	PM6	0.79	22.67	0.752	13.45
	ITIC	PBDB-T	0.9	16.8	0.742	11.32
	ZY-4Cl	P3HT	0.9	16.7	0.68	10.17

References

Wide-gap non-fullerene acceptor enabling high-performance organic photovoltaic cells..., Cui, Y. et al., Nat Energy (2019)
Molecular interaction induced dual fibrils towards organic solar..., Chen, C. et al., Nat Commun (2024)
Single-junction organic solar cells with over 19% efficiency..., Zhu, L. et al., Nat. Mater. (2022)
Single-Junction Organic Photovoltaic Cell with 19% Efficiency, Cui, Y., Advanced Materials (2021)
Over 18.7% efficiency for bulk heterojunction and pseudo-planar..., Zhang, Z. et al., J. Mater. Chem. A (2024)

18.69% PCE from organic solar cells, Jin, K. et al., Journal of Semiconductors (2021)

Efficient Ternary Organic Solar Cells with Suppressed Nonradiative..., Zhang, Y. et al., ChemSusChem (2024)

Dual Sensitizer and Processing-Aid Behavior of Donor Enables..., Song, X. et al., Joule (2019)

Non-fullerene acceptors with branched side chains and improved..., Li, C. et al., Nat Energy (2021)

Single-Junction Organic Photovoltaic Cells with Approaching 18% Efficiency, Cui, Y. et al., Advanced Materials (2020)

High Efficiency Polymer Solar Cells with Efficient Hole..., Sun, C. et al., JACS (2020)

Single-Junction Organic Solar Cell with over 15% Efficiency..., Yuan, J. et al., Joule (2019)

A High-Efficiency Organic Solar Cell Enabled by the..., Li, W. et al., Advanced Materials (2018)

Over 14% Efficiency in Organic Solar Cells Enabled..., Zhang, H. et al., Advanced Materials (2018)

Fullerene-Free Polymer Solar Cells with over 11% Efficiency..., Zhao, W. et al., Advanced Materials (2016)

Thermally stable poly(3-hexylthiophene): Nonfullerene solar cells with efficiency..., Gao, M. et al., Aggregate (2022)

More on Non-Fullerene Acceptors

The discovery of ITIC in 2015 brought about the first serious challenge to the role of fullerenes as acceptors in polymer solar cells. To a large extent, they have already taken the spotlight away from fullerenes like PCBM as the preferred acceptor in bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs).

The performance of NFA-based devices has now overtaken that of their fullerene-based cousins, with recent non-fullerene organic solar cells (NFOSCs) reaching power conversion efficiencies of over 17%. More research is needed before devices can be created with efficiencies that rival those of inorganic devices, but with the development of new non-fullerene acceptor materials, the first OPV cells with efficiencies in excess of 20% could be on the horizon.

Resources and Support

What are Non-Fullerene Acceptors?

Non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) are organic molecules that, like fullerenes, act as electron acceptors in organic solar cells and other organic electronic devices. However, unlike fullerenes, NFAs lack the hollow cage structure and offer greater flexibility in molecular design, allowing for tunable electronic and optical properties.

Application of Non-Fullerene Acceptors in Organic Solar Cells

Non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) molecules are currently being used in the active layer of organic solar cells to enhance their efficiency. Organic solar cells, also known as organic photovoltaics (OPVs), consist of several organic components, each playing a distinct role in capturing solar energy.

ITIC & Derivatives as OPV Acceptors

Of the significant efforts in research devoted to NFAs, the proposal of the fused-ring system ITIC in 2015 has generated the most success. In the initial paper proposing ITIC, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.80% was achieved in combination with a PTB7-TH donor.

Y6 Acceptor in Solar Cells: Structure, Benefits and Compatible Donors

In photovoltaics, researchers are constantly seeking better materials for organic solar cells (OPV). One standout example is Y6, a non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) that is an n-type organic semiconductor. Y6 is commonly paired with a polymer donor in bulk heterojunction solar cells.

Fine-Tuning A-D-A Small-Molecule Acceptors for OPVs

Small molecules such as non-fullerene acceptors are showing significant promise for application in organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Like OPV polymers, they have tunable properties such as band-gap width.

Fullerene vs Non-Fullerene Acceptors for OPVs

Fullerene and non-fullerene acceptors play a pivotal role in organic photovoltaics (OPVs). OPVs are promising candidates for next-generation solar cells due to their lightweight, flexibility, and potential for low-cost production.

More on Organic Solar Cells

Organic Solar Cells: An Introduction to Organic Photovoltaics

Organic solar cells, also known as photovoltaics (OPVs), have become widely recognized for their many promising qualities. This page introduces the topic of OPVs, how they work and their development.

An Introduction to Ternary Organic Solar Cells

The majority of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) in research are based upon a binary active-layer mixture (of donor and acceptor materials) in the form of a bulk heterojunction (BHJ). Ternary organic solar cells extend this principle to three-component active layers, typically in the form of two donors and one acceptor, or one acceptor and two donors.

Layer-by-Layer processing for high efficiency opvs

Layer-by-Layer (LbL) Processing for Highly Efficient Organic Solar Cells

"Layer-by-layer" (LbL) processing, also known as "layer-by-layer" deposition, is a technique used for the fabrication of photovoltaic solar cells, in particular organic solar cells. This method involves the sequential addition of ultra-thin layers of materials to build up the device's structure.