Efficient Photovoltaic Devices Research Articles

Promoting photoelectric performance through extraction of hot electron from Cu-doped CdSe quantum dots

Efficient extraction of photogenerated hot carriers and insight into the involved dynamics are crucial to promoting the photoelectric efficiencies of photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices. Here, we synthesized Cu-doped CdSe quantum dots (Cu-CdSe QDs) as the donor and investigated the ultrafast dynamics of hot electron cooling and electron transfer from Cu-CdSe QDs to benzoquinone (BQ) as the acceptor. The doping of copper ion effectively suppresses the cooling rate of hot electrons in CdSe QDs and extends the lifetime of hot electrons from 0.2 ps to 3.6 ps. The results of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy demonstrate that the overall electron transfer efficiency from Cu-CdSe QDs to BQ exceeds 70 %. Dynamical analysis confirms that two electron transfer pathways of hot and band-edge electrons exist in the Cu-CdSe-BQ composites. The hot electron transfer efficiency can reach ∼45 % with a rate constant of 3.90 × 1011 s−1. The band-edge electron transfer efficiency is about 50 %. These findings demonstrate an effective strategy for improving the photoelectric performance of Cu-CdSe-BQ composites by efficiently separating photogenerated carriers and extracting hot electrons.

(Invited) Forecasting Hybrid Perovskites’ Dynamic Response through Machine Learning

Machine learning (ML) can significantly accelerate the discovery of materials for clean energy. Hybrid perovskites (an emerging class of materials for photovoltaics and light-emitting diodes) encompass an enormous chemical composition space, resulting in a hyperparameter space that is nearly impossible to be interrogated via traditional trial-and-error methods. Thus, there has been a pressing need within the materials research community to identify ML models that can be implemented to inform the physical and chemical behavior of the perovskites. Here, we apply distinct ML models (mostly based on recurrent neural networks) to classify and forecast physical properties encompassing electrical conductivity, photoluminescence response, the power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic devices, etc. Specifically, we use automated, in situ optical measurements to predict the optical response of a series of perovskites for 50+ hours, upon materials’ exposure to moisture. We quantitatively compare linear regression, echo state network, and seasonal auto-regressive integrated moving average with eXogenous regressor algorithms and achieve accuracy of >90% for the latter. Demonstrating the ability of this model to capture non-linear features. Our high-throughput measurements and ML-assisted data analysis exemplifies the potential of ML to diagnose and forecast hybrid perovskites’ response with a variety of chemical compositions.

Increasing efficiency in perovskite solar cells through energy downconversion using nanoparticles

The generation of electricity through solar energy stands out as one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources worldwide. The global demand for energy, coupled with the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, highlights the need to develop renewable sources of energy. The current challenge of utilizing photovoltaic cells for electricity production lies in the efficiency of the photovoltaic conversion process occurring within the device. To enhance the efficiency of photovoltaic devices, scientists have been investigating light conversion processes to improve radiation absorption and conversion. The study and application of the downconversion process with luminescent materials have been explored to prevent energy loss in solar devices. Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been employed for this purpose due to their favorable optical properties for downconversion applications. Organic–inorganic perovskites, such as methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3), have shown promising results for power conversion efficiency, and the present study aimed to assess the increased efficiency of perovskite devices with the addition of ZnO nanoparticles on top of the device. Such optical improvement in the device can occur because high-energy photons, which would be absorbed by layers such as glass and ITO, which are not semiconductors and do not generate charge carriers, will now be absorbed by the ZnO NPs and emitted at longer wavelengths. These longer wavelengths will be absorbed in the active layer of the device, thus generating charge carriers. The obtained results demonstrated that ZnO nanoparticles with approximately 45 nm diameter can successfully produce a downconversion process, leading to improved light absorption by the active layer of the cell and consequently improving photovoltaic efficiency of a perovskite device by 5.5 %.

Cyanoacetamide co-sensitizers DY-1 and DY-2: Unveiling a promising path to highly efficient photovoltaic devices

This paper presents a novel approach for enhancing the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) through the co-sensitization of cyanoacetamide-based dyes DY-1 and DY-2 with N3 dye. The synthesis and characterization of DY-1 and DY-2 co-sensitizers are described and their potential applications in photovoltaic devices are investigated. The absorption properties of DY-1 and DY-2 were analyzed, revealing their efficient light absorption in the visible range. The co-sensitization of DY-1-2 with N3 dye demonstrated a significant enhancement in photovoltaic efficiency, ranging from 7.40 % to 7.92 %. The reasons for this efficiency enhancement were thoroughly analyzed and attributed to several factors. First, the combination of DY-1-2 with the N3 dye led to a broader light absorption spectrum, enabling more efficient utilization of incident photons. Additionally, co-sensitization facilitates efficient charge separation and injection processes, contributing to improved photocurrent. The acid-base co-sensitization approach further enhances the overall efficiency by maximizing the charge transfer and coverage on the semiconductor surface. This study sheds light on the development of novel sensitizers to enhance the performance of DSSCs, and the findings contribute to the advancement of photovoltaic devices.

Cu(II) and Ni(II) Phthalocyanine‐Based Hole‐Transporting Materials for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiencies Reaching 20.0%

Herein, Cu(II)Pcs and Ni(II)Pcs peripherally tetra‐functionalized with 5‐hexylthiophene (HT), 5‐hexyl‐2,2′‐bithiophene (HBT), and tertbutyl groups (TB) are readily synthesized and employed as hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) in mixed‐ion perovskite ([FAPbI3]0.85[MAPbBr3]0.15) solar cells, achieving power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) up to 20.0%. Remarkably, both the peripheral functionalization and the central metal are found to play a role in the performance. Through a combination of experimental and theoretical techniques, it is found that the simplest HTM, TB‐CuPc, is the best‐performing HTM primarily due to its higher hole mobility and a more appropriate highest‐occupied molecular orbital, whose enables efficient hole extraction without open‐circuit voltage (Voc)losses. This derivative leads to PCEs of 19.96%, which are among the highest values for Pc‐based HTMs. Importantly, devices incorporating these HTMs present significantly higher stability compared to those based on spiro‐OMeTAD. The results here presented pave the way for more realistic, efficient, and inexpensive photovoltaic devices using phthalocyanine derivatives.

Investigation of the Temperature Coefficients of Perovskite Solar Cells for Application in High-Temperature Environments.

Perovskite solar cells are actively investigated for their potential as highly efficient and cost-effective photovoltaic devices. However, a significant challenge in their practical application is enhancing their durability. Particularly, these cells are expected to be subjected to heating by sunlight in real-world operating environments. Therefore, high-temperature durability and device operation under such conditions are critical. Our study aims to improve the durability of perovskite solar cells for practical applications by examining their temperature coefficients at elevated temperatures using MA-free compositions. We assessed these coefficients and investigated their correlation with the ideality factor, revealing that carrier recombination markedly affects the temperature behavior of these cells. Our methodology involves simple J-V measurements to evaluate device degradation at high temperatures, paving the way for further research to enhance device performance in such environments.

The role of the plasmon in interfacial charge transfer.

The lack of a detailed mechanistic understanding for plasmon-mediated charge transfer at metal-semiconductor interfaces severely limits the design of efficient photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices. A major remaining question is the relative contribution from indirect transfer of hot electrons generated by plasmon decay in the metal to the semiconductor compared to direct metal-to-semiconductor interfacial charge transfer. Here, we demonstrate an overall electron transfer efficiency of 44 ± 3% from gold nanorods to titanium oxide shells when excited on resonance. We prove that half of it originates from direct interfacial charge transfer mediated specifically by exciting the plasmon. We are able to distinguish between direct and indirect pathways through multimodal frequency-resolved approach measuring the homogeneous plasmon linewidth by single-particle scattering spectroscopy and time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy with variable pump wavelengths. Our results signify that the direct plasmon-induced charge transfer pathway is a promising way to improve hot carrier extraction efficiency by circumventing metal intrinsic decay that results mainly in nonspecific heating.

Nanoscale phase management of the 2D/3D heterostructure toward efficient perovskite solar cells

The stabilization of the formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) structure is pivotal for the development of efficient photovoltaic devices. Employing two-dimensional (2D) layers to passivate the three-dimensional (3D) perovskite is essential for maintaining the α-phase of FAPbI3 and enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the role of bulky ligands in the phase management of 2D perovskites, crucial for the stabilization of FAPbI3, has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we synthesized nanoscale 2D perovskite capping crusts with <n> = 1 and 2 Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskite layers, respectively, which form a type-II 2D/3D heterostructure. This heterostructure stabilizes the α-phase of FAPbI3, and facilitates ultrafast carrier extraction from the 3D perovskite network to transport contact layer. We introduced tri-fluorinated ligands to mitigate defects caused by the halide vacancies and uncoordinated Pb2+ ions, thereby reducing nonradiative carrier recombination and extending carrier lifetime. The films produced were incorporated into PSCs that not only achieved a PCE of 25.38% but also maintained 95% of their initial efficiency after 2000 hours of continuous light exposure without encapsulation. These findings underscore the effectiveness of a phase-pure 2D/3D heterostructure-terminated film in inhibiting phase transitions passivating the iodide anion vacancy defects, facilitating the charge carrier extraction, and boosting the performance of optoelectronic devices.

Spinel cobalt-based binary metal oxides as emerging materials for energy harvesting devices: synthesis, characterization and synchrotron radiation-enabled investigation.

The synthesis and characterization of spinel cobalt-based metal oxides (MCo2O4) with varying 3d-transition metal ions (Ni, Fe, Cu, and Zn) were explored using a hydrothermal process (140 °C for two hours) to be used as alternative counter electrodes for Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed distinct morphologies for each metal oxide, such as NiCo2O4 nanosheets, Cu Co2O4 nanoleaves, Fe Co2O4 diamond-like, and Zn Co2O4 hexagonal-like structures. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the cubic spinel structure for the prepared MCo2O4 films. The functional groups of MCo2O4 materials were recognized in metal oxides throughout Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The local structure analysis using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) at Fe and Co K-edge identified octahedral (Oh) Co3+ and tetrahedral (Td) Co2+ coordination, with Zn2+ and Cu2+ favoring Td sites, while Ni3+ and Fe3+ preferred Oh active sites. Further investigations utilizing the Fourier transformation (FT) analysis showed comparable coordination numbers and interatomic distances ranked as Co-Cu > Co-Fe > Zn-Co > Co-Ni. Furthermore, the utilization of MCo2O4 thin films as counter electrodes in DSSC fabrication showed promising results. Notably, solar cells based on CuCo2O4 and ZnCo2O4 counter electrodes showed 1.9% and 1.13% power conversion efficiency, respectively. These findings indicate the potential of employing these binary metal oxides for efficient and cost-effective photovoltaic device production.

Enhancing efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells via evaporated NdF3 surface passivation

Realizing efficient and stable perovskite photovoltaic devices remains a key challenge for further development in this field. Surface defects, especially those caused by unbound Pb, are often linked to the performance of these devices. This study demonstrates that NdF3 deposited on the surface of perovskite films effectively passivates unbound lead, thereby improving film quality. The resulting device achieved an power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.88% and exhibited good stability. Even after being stored in air for 1400 h, the device maintained its initial PCE of 87.5%. Additionally, after aging at 120 °C for 400 h in a nitrogen atmosphere, the device still retained 90% of its initial PCE. Furthermore, the device maintains 52% of its initial PCE after 1000 h of continuous light soaking.

Art of Cross-Linking In Situ Bulk Perovskites for Efficient and Stable Photovoltaics.

Perovskites are hybrid materials containing templating organic linkers and inorganic halides with efficiencies that have superseded the efficiency of silicon-based photovoltaic devices (PVs) in a very short period of 10 years. Nevertheless, low ambient stability due to traps and ion migration caused hysteresis to remain the bottlenecks on the way to achieving higher operational stability with bulk perovskite-based PVs. In this context, herein we highlight the prospects of in situ cross-linking of linkers within the perovskite lattice either mediated by thermal means or attained photochemically that can maneuver the ambient as well as operational stability for enhanced power conversion efficiency for PV applications or could improve the conductivity of this hybrid semiconductor. Additionally, some important studies of additive engineering via in situ cross-linking that can affect the structure of perovskite in addition to defect passivation to endow ambient environment stability are highlighted herein.

High‐Efficiency Luminescent Solar Concentrators Based on Carbon Dots with Simultaneously Ultrabright Solid‐State and Liquid‐State Luminescence

AbstractCarbon dots (CDs) are ideal fluorophores for optoelectronic devices. However, it is still a great challenge to obtain CDs with high solid‐state photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs). In this work, it is first reported that the barium‐doped CDs (Ba‐CDs), which can be simply synthesized on a large scale via a direct one‐step heating approach using an open vessel. The as‐synthesized Ba‐CDs exhibit ultrabright luminescence both in liquid and solid states. The as‐synthesized Ba‐CDs with a scale of 8.6 g per batch show a Stokes shift of ≈0.68 eV and high PLQYs of 80.8% and 66.8% in liquid and solid state, respectively. Interestingly, an efficient fluorescence enhancement phenomenon occurs when Ba‐CDs are mixed with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which reveals the critical issue of compatibility between CDs and polymer matrix can be well resolved. As a proof‐of‐concept, the Ba‐CDs are employed as fluorophores for high‐efficiency luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) fabrication. The Ba‐CDs@PVP‐based LSC has a PLQY of 88.78%, showing a breakthrough optical conversion efficiency of 7.16% and power conversion efficiency of 6.87% under natural light irradiation (40 mW cm−2). The results demonstrate the potential application of the ultrabright Ba‐CDs in efficient photovoltaic devices.

Quantum barriers engineering toward radiative and stable perovskite photovoltaic devices

Efficient photovoltaic devices must be efficient light emitters to reach the thermodynamic efficiency limit. Here, we present a promising prospect of perovskite photovoltaics as bright emitters by harnessing the significant benefits of photon recycling, which can be practically achieved by suppressing interfacial quenching. We have achieved radiative and stable perovskite photovoltaic devices by the design of a multiple quantum well structure with long (∼3 nm) organic spacers with oleylammonium molecules at perovskite top interfaces. Our L-site exchange process (L: barrier molecule cation) enables the formation of stable interfacial structures with moderate conductivity despite the thick barriers. Compared to popular short (∼1 nm) Ls, our approach results in enhanced radiation efficiency through the recursive process of photon recycling. This leads to the realization of radiative perovskite photovoltaics with both high photovoltaic efficiency (in-lab 26.0%, certified to 25.2%) and electroluminescence quantum efficiency (19.7 % at peak, 17.8% at 1-sun equivalent condition). Furthermore, the stable crystallinity of oleylammonium-based quantum wells enables our devices to maintain high efficiencies for over 1000 h of operation and >2 years of storage.

Polyvinyl Chloride-Based Luminescent Downshifting Film with High Flame Retardancy and Excellent UV Resistance for Silicon Solar Cells.

Solar power generation, as a clean energy source, has significant potential for development. This work reports the recent efforts to address the challenge of low power conversion efficiency in photovoltaic devices by proposing the fabrication of a luminescence downshifting layer using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with added fluorescent dots to enhance light utilization. A photoluminescent microsphere (HCPAM) is synthesized by cross-linking hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene, 2-iminobenzimidazoline, and polyethyleneimine. Low addition of HCPAM can improve the fire safety of PVC films, raising the limiting oxygen index of PVC to 32.4% and reducing the total heat release and smoke production rate values by 14.5% and 42.9%, respectively. Additionally, modified PVC film remains a transparency of 88% and shows down-conversion light properties. When the PVC+1%HCPAM film is applied to the solar cell, the short-circuit current density increases from 42.3 to 43.8mAcm-2, resulting in a 7.0% enhancement in power conversion efficiency. HCPAM also effectively delays the photooxidative aging of PVC, particularly at a 3% content, maintaining the surface morphology and optical properties of PVC samples during ultraviolet aging. This study offers an innovative strategy to enhance the fire and UV-resistant performance of PVC films and expand their applications in protecting and efficiently utilizing photovoltaic devices.

Colour gamut analysis of low‐cost dye‐sensitised solar cells using natural dyes

AbstractDue to the increasing effects of greenhouse gases and environmental pollution, the need for new clean energies like solar energy attracts much attention. Although the characteristics and the efficiency of green photovoltaic devices have been researched, the colour gamut achievable from those devices has not been studied. This study investigates the colour gamut of low‐cost dye‐sensitised solar cells (DSSCs). To do this, 14 natural dye extracts were obtained from herbal resources including dragon fruit, blueberry, mango, radish, yellow rose, red cabbage, sour pomegranate, beetroot, olive, green cabbage pepper, eggplant, parsley, bramble and cherry, and employed as photosensitiser in solar cells. Then, the colorimetric attributes of the photosensitisers were studied in three‐dimensional (3D)‐colour space, that is, CIELab, CIELCH and CIE1931 chromaticity diagram. Additionally, the convex hull method was employed to determine the colour gamut boundary and the corresponding colour gamut volume. Results showed that the majority of samples benefited from approximately 3°–82° of hue angle in a*b* diagram of CIELab colour space and showed the yellowish to reddish tint effects. In CIELCH colour order system, cherry and parsley showed the lowest and highest lightness attributes while the chroma property of samples varied from minimum 1.2 for eggplant to maximum 60.2 for the dragon fruit. Moreover, the results of using the convex hull method showed the volume of 7.73 × 104 that is bounded by the colour gamut of 3D colour points over the CIELab colour space.

Utilizing Metal Oxide Thin Films for Device Engineering of Solution-Processed Organic Multi-Junction Solar Cells

Electron and hole transporting layers play a major role in high-performance and stable organic-based optoelectronic devices. This paper demonstrates detailed device engineering of multi-junction organic photovoltaics built on two different metal oxide-based electron and hole transport (buffer) layers prepared by thermal or solution-processed methods. The main focus is on the device processing parameters as well as practical details of preparation of buffer layers to give the research community a clear, step-by-step recipe to successfully replicate and build series and parallel connected multi-junction solution-based organic solar cells for their needs. Here, the recipes and deposition conditions of two metal oxide buffer layers are presented in detail, based on basic commercially available materials and tools, to achieve well-engineered tandem (multi-junction) solution-processed organic solar cells. The buffer layers have appropriate energy levels for electrical selectivity of anode and cathode electrodes, and they are highly stable and chemically compatible with processing of solution-based polymer solar cells. To demonstrate the engineering steps of multi-junction devices, the PCE10:PC70BM blend is used as the active layer for all subcells. Then, to improve the power conversion efficiency of the single-junction photovoltaic device, PCE10:PC70BM blend is used in combination with DPPx:PC70BM with different absorption spectra for bottom and top subcell active layers. An optimized series tandem device with 10.6% power conversion efficiency is demonstrated. Generally, the device structures reported here can also be used for other types of optoelectronic devices, such as light emitting diodes and photodetectors.

Suppressing interface recombination via element diffusion regulation towards high-efficiency Cd-free Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Magnetron-sputtered Zn1-xMgxO (ZMO) films suffer from severe elemental diffusion to Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS), which limits the further improvement of device performance. Herein, we introduced Zn(O,S) (ZOS) as a barrier layer, and we controlled the diffusion of Zn within an appropriate range by adjusting the annealing temperature of ZOS. The results indicate that Zn can occupy copper vacancies (VCu) in CIGS and easily diffuse through VCu. A moderate amount of Zn at the interface acts as a charge compensator, reducing the band tailing effect and promoting the carrier collection efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) devices. However, excessive Zn doping induces additional defects dominated by ZnCu, ZnGa and ZnIn, leading to severe nonradiative recombination. Consequently, the Cd-free CIGS solar cell produced based on these insights exhibited a 49.4-mV reduction in the Voc deficit (Voc,def) as well as a notable increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) to 18.0 %. This study is the first to reveal the mechanism of defects caused by Zn diffusion, and these findings provide theoretical support for the study of Cd-free thin-film solar cells.

Effect of nitro-substituted ending group on the photovoltaic and photocatalytic performance of non-fullerene acceptors

The Y-series non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) significantly enhance organic photovoltaic device efficiency, approaching 20%. Recent studies demonstrate their commendable photocatalytic performance in bulk heterojunction photocatalysis. Chemical modification of end groups emerges as a pivotal way to modulate molecular electrical and optical characteristics, thereby improving the organic solar cells (OSCs) performance. Among Y-series NFAs, 2-(2,3-dihydro-3-oxo-1H-inden-1-ylidene)propanedinitrile (INCN) and its derivatives stand out as the most successful end groups. However, a restricted range of modifying groups, such as the fluorine atom (–F) and the hydroxyl group (–OH), are currently employed to explore both the photovoltaic and photocatalytic properties of Y-series NFAs, research on other substituents for INCN remains largely unexplored to date. In this study, nitro-substituted end groups were incorporated into the Y6 skeleton, resulting in a new NFA, named Y6-NO. Simultaneously, INCN is incorporated into the Y6 skeleton to create Y6-IN as a reference molecule for simultaneously investigating the photovoltaic and photocatalytic properties of the two NFAs. In organic photovoltaics, Y6-NO, featuring nitro groups, exhibits a red-shifted absorption, lower molecular energy levels, and enhanced electron transport, leading to a superior power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.03 % for OSCs, as opposed to 10.45 % for Y6-IN. Conversely, in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) for water splitting, the nitro groups in Y6-NO lowers the energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), resulting in a reduced overpotential when combined with the co-catalyst Pt. Consequently, the HER rate of PM6:Y6-NO nanoparticles (72.2 mmol h−1 g−1) is lower than that of PM6:Y6-IN nanoparticles (108.5 mmol h−1 g−1). This study highlights that through judicious end-group chemical modification, the photovoltaic and photocatalytic properties of the acceptors can be effectively modulated.

Exploaration of the influence of end-capped structural modification on photovoltaic properties of selenopheno-thiophene core based non-fullerene chromophores: A DFT study

In current study, six novel selenopheno-thiophene (ST) core-based chromophores (SePTD1- SePTD6) with A-D-A configuration were designed via structural tailoring with terminal acceptors of SePTR. The optoelectronic and photovoltaic properties of SePTD1-SePTD6 were explored through TDDFT/DFT approaches. The B3LYP/6–31 G(d,p) level was chose through benchmarked study with the help of DFT and experimental UV-Vis values of SePTR. All tailored chromophores exhibited a comparatively smaller band gap (2.144–2.003 eV), along with a significant bathochromic shift (676.8–724.2 nm) and an increased rate of charge transference then reference chromophore (2.119 eV and 686.6 nm). Among all derivatives, SePTD2 exhibited some unique characteristics such as, least HOMO/LUMO energy gap (2.003 eV), highest absorption values (665.4 nm in gas and 724.2 nm in solvent), least binding energy (0.291 eV) and also significant value of open circuit voltage (1.860 V). The aforementioned findings suggest that employing molecular engineering with extended acceptors enhances the photovoltaic performance of non-fullerene materials, thereby encouraging experimentalists to develop highly efficient photovoltaic devices.

Invariant Charge Carrier Dynamics Using a Non-Planar Non-Fullerene Acceptor across Multiple Processing Solvents.

Conventional non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) typically have planar structures that can enable improved electron mobility and produce more efficient organic photovoltaic devices. A relatively simple A-D-A'-D-A type NFA specifically designed to match with poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) for green-absorbing agrivoltaic applications has been examined using a variety of techniques: microsecond transient absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence. Relatively invariant charge carrier decay dynamics are observed in the blend films across a variety of processing solvents. Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with computational studies reveals that this NFA is non-planar and that multiple conformations are present in films, while preserving the crystalline nature of P3HT. The non-planarity of the NFA therefore creates a dispersive acceptor environment, irrespective of processing solvent, and this leads to the observed relative invariance in charge carrier decay dynamics and high tolerance to morphological variation. The findings presented in this work highlight the potential of non-planar materials as acceptors in organic photovoltaic devices.