High open circuit voltage polymer solar cells with blend of MEH-PPV as donor and fumaronitrile derivate as acceptor

•A new polymer (TPAFCN) as electron acceptor was designed and synthesized.•Photoinduced electrons transfer from MEH-PPV to TPAFCN.•The applied PSCs show a high VOC of about 1.0 V.

A new polymer (TPAFCN, one of fumaronitrile derivates) was synthesized and applied as the acceptor in bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells (PSCs) with MEH-PPV as donor. Different blends with different MEH-PPV/TAPFCN weight ratios were employed in PSCs. It is found that photoinduced charges transfer in the mixtures of MEH-PPV and TPAFCN, identifying from completely quenched fluorescent of MEH-PPV. The TPAFCN could be beneficial to the enhancement of open circuit voltage (VOC) as well as the resulting PCE. A high VOC of about 1.0 V is achieved by the PSCs with the optimal MEH-PPV/TPAFCN of 1:3 under illumination with 80 mW/cm2 of AM 1.5 white light.